X-COM: UFO DEFENSE - Survival of the Fittest
by kappapi99
Summary: This is a fanfiction story of the original XCOM game, put out by Microprose in 1994. It starts with a brief introduction, than moves to the first mission with eight soldiers. In order to move the story, I have incorporated a few minor elements of the 2012 reboot, but am trying to stick as close as possible to the 1994 game. This is Part 1 of 2.
1. Chapter 1 - PROLOGUE

**Date: 13 March, 1997  
** **Location: Lenora, Kansas, United States**

The farmer awoke at his usual time and went through his usual morning routine. He would soon find out that it was not a usual morning. After getting dressed and drinking his first cup of coffee, he went out to his fields to survey his flock.

They were dead. Each and every head of cattle. All that remained were hollow carcasses with random innards lying on the ground nearby. The farmer ran back to his truck and drove back to his house quicker than he should have, but he had an urgent phone call to make.

The sheriff was at his property 45 minutes later. The farmer drove him and his deputy out to his field so they could see for themselves. Sure enough, the animals were completely mutilated. Flies were starting to gather around some of the carcasses.

The deputy took pictures of each carcass, from multiple angles. Then the group loaded back into the pickup and headed to the farmer's house. There were three large black SUVs in the driveway when they got there.

Inside the farmer's house was a group of men. Imposing looking, yet not threatening.

"May I see your camera, deputy?" one of them asked.

The deputy looked at the sheriff. "May I see some ID?" the sheriff asked.

"Apologies," the man said as he reached into his jacket and pulled out his ID.

"FBI? What does the FBI want with mutilated carcasses?"

"It could be terrorism related, sir." The g-man replied.

"Very well, turn over the camera." the sheriff ordered his deputy.

"This should cover the cost for the equipment." The g-man said as he handed the Sheriff a check. "You and your deputy may go now."

The sheriff and deputy departed with a very large check. The FBI agent turned toward the farmer. "You understand how sensitive something like this could be. We don't want to cause a scare, but we regret what happened and are prepared to not only clean up the mess, but compensate your loss." The agent handed the farmer a check that was twice what his loss in cattle was and his fields were cleared by the end of the day.

* * *

 **Date: October 12, 1997  
** **Location: UN Security Council, New York City**

This meeting of the U.N. Security Council was a little unusual, but then so was the topic of discussion. Only the ambassadors and their translators were present. The media and support staff members were not allowed in to this meeting. In addition, only one recorder was permitted.

The Venezuelan Ambassador was the current chair, so he opened the meeting. "We are here today, to discuss the unconfirmed reports of events that appear to be extra-terrestrial in nature."

Normally that statement would have resulted in mocking laughter, especially coming from a U.N. Ambassador. However each country had populations that were starting to panic. Cattle mutilations, missing children, adult abductions, UFO sightings were all on the rise. So much so that many barely made the news.

The U.N. Security council was meeting to discuss the reliability of the reports and what should be done about them. They group debated for three hours and finally agreed to form a committee to investigate the allegations and report back to the Security council in six months.

* * *

 **Date: May 7, 1998  
** **Location: UN Security Council, New York City**

The U.N. Security Council met to review the findings of the special committee they set up to review the alleged UFO activity. Each Ambassador was surprised to learn that the special committee had determined that the events were 1) Factual and documented and 2) Possibly of an extra-terrestrial origin, which was UN-speak for admitting that aliens were, in fact, interfering in the affairs of humans.

The problem arose when trying to decide what to do about it. The Security Council quickly fell into two camps. The first were of the opinion that they should form another UN agency to deal with the alleged threat. The second camp were worried about their reputation should they suggest such a thing to the General Assembly.

Eventually, they agreed on a compromise. Each member of the Security Council would make quiet, unofficial inquiries to their peers. Those that were interested, or agreed that there was a threat would be invited to join an unofficial agency, funded directly by participating nations.

* * *

 **Date: December 11, 1998  
** **Location: UN Regional Office, Geneva**

There were sixteen nations gathered in the lush conference room at the U.N. facility in Geneva. This meeting was unofficial, and according to U.N. records, was not actually happening. The topic was serious, but the subject was only recently becoming mainstream. Thus, it was considered by some to be "fringe."

The topic was UFOs and extra-terrestrial life. Evidence was mounting that aliens were interfering in the affairs of Earth. Most of the world's nations were not yet ready to acknowledge the matter, but the sixteen members meeting today were not only ready to acknowledge it, they were prepared to do something about it.

Some, like Japan, tried dealing with it on their own, but they proved ineffectual. Unable to deal with the subject individually these nations gathered to pool their resources and establish a project to investigate and deal with the alleged alien incursions.

Venezuala, which currently chaired the U.N. Security Council, declined to participate, so the representative from Brazil opened the meeting.

"We are here under unusual circumstance," he began, "but these are unusual times. Our sixteen nations have come together to determine the threat posed by these extra-terrestrial beings."

"Excuse me, _senor_ , but how do we know they pose a threat?" The Italian rep asked.

The American responded. "We don't. That's why we are here. The goal is to begin a project to determine their intentions and then react accordingly. We can put together a small contingent of both soldiers and scientists, so we're ready for first contact or war, or both. The United States of America stands ready to host the first base for this project at our Cheyenne Mountain Complex."

The German representative spoke next. "We all appreciate the offer by the United States," he began in true diplomatic fashion, "But would it not be more prudent to put our first base where it could protect the most of us."

"Like Europe?" The Russian representative asked. "Where would you house the facility? Surely it would cost more to start a new construction, rather than use an existing base, no?"

The German, British, French and American representatives all looked at each other and then the Italian representative. Finally, they all nodded in silent agreement.

"We…have a facility," the Italian representative stated, somewhat reluctantly. The Cold War had been over for a few years, but there was still some mistrust. That mistrust would have to be cast aside if they were to come together to face the aliens as a united planet.

"Really?" the Russian was not entirely surprised.

"It is located in the Alps, just inside our border," the Italian continued. NATO was considering decommissioning it, but in light of this. Maybe we use it for this new project? It has labs, workshops, living quarters, hangars, everything we need to be begin."

The Russian nodded. "I move for a vote. America or Italy?"

The vote was twelve to four in favor of Italy. The American took it in stride, he offered up a prototype transport aircraft for the project. Japan offered up their newest fighter, two of them. It would have offered more, but the base only had three hangars at the moment.

Once the biggest decision was made, the rest of the details fell into place. The overall commander of the project would be a senior British General. The American would be the chairperson for the council. They would hire ten scientists, ten engineers and eight soldiers. The last decision was perhaps the most important. What they would call the project. They decided to call it…

The Extra-terrestrial Combat Command…and thus, XCOM was born.

* * *

 **Date: 31 December, 1998  
** **Location: XCOM Base, Alps**

The Skyranger approached the mountain peak and by all appearances stopped in midair. It was a VTOL aircraft, Vertical Take Off & Landing. It was a prototype, on loan from the Americans for the XCOM Project.

The aircraft hovered as the mountain peak split apart, revealing a hidden hangar, inside the mountain. Once the hangar doors were fully open, the Skyranger descended and disappeared as the doors, and mountain peak, closed above it. It touched down perfectly. The project not only had the best equipment, but also the best pilots.

It also had the best soldiers. Eight of which were onboard. The rear ramp of the Skyranger descended and eight soldiers exited the aircraft. There were six men and two woman. The best of the best, recruited to be mankind's defense against an unknown enemy. They all wore tan jumpsuits. None of them had any equipment. Everything they needed would be provided.

They were met by a sharp looking Major who welcomed them and lead them to the base briefing room.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to XCOM. I am Major Coppersmith. I will be your main point of contact as you get assimilated into our way of doing things. All of you are the best soldiers your nations have to offer. Right now there are only eight of you, but that number may grow, depending on the threat we face."

"Excuse me, sir," one of the new soldiers raised his hand.

"Yes Private?"

The soldier flinched a little, he had been senior enlisted, but he let that pass for a moment. "What is this threat? I was told very little. I was told that I would be given everything I needed when I got here and told what I needed as well. That is what you will do, _oiu_?"

"Yes, _oiu_ ," the Major replied. "Right now, we know little of who or _what_ you will face, but I will share the back story. For the past two to three years, the world has seen an uptick in unexplained activities. Adults being abducted, cattle being mutilated, children disappear, unknown lights in the sky, etc. The U.N. Security Council launched a study, which determined that some of these events may be extra-terrestrial in nature."

"Wait" one of the woman, Ivana Borisovich, stopped the major. "You mean there are real aliens out there?"

"We don't know for sure. This base was established for a two-fold purpose: 1) determine if there really is alien activity on this planet and 2) if there is, determine their intentions."

"So we report to the U.N. Security Council?" John Kalto asked.

"No, you all report to me. I report to the Commander, and the Commander reports to the OXF, or Office of XCOM Funding. It's an unofficial, off-the-books, UN sub agency. It is funded directly by the Nations that are members. Membership was voluntary, as is the funding. They could pull the plug at any time, but to show how serious they are, nations sent their best technology and their best people. We have ten of the world's top scientists and ten of the world's top engineers as well as you all, the world's top soldiers."

"If we're the world's top soldiers," Lazlo Dimas asked, "Why are we all being demoted?"

"None of you were demoted. You hold your existing ranks in your sponsoring military branches and will continue to be paid accordingly. Here, at XCOM, we're all starting fresh, so you all are given the internal XCOM ranks of Private. If there really is an alien threat, and you all handle yourselves in a manner befitting your profession, you will be promoted internally. Our rank structure is a little different than what you are used to, but the Commander is the one who will make that determination. For now, you all start on an equal footing. We'll see how each of you operates under pressure and promote accordingly and as needed."

"In that case, you should just make me an officer right now," Lazlo responded. "I'll be the Commander by then of the month!"

If the bragging bothered the Major, he didn't show it. He continued as if he hadn't even been interrupted. "Currently, everyone is setup to live in the barracks. We have one set, but will expand if our mission does. Living quarters are coed, as are the heads/showers/latrines, etc. There are five ten-man bays. One for scientists, one for engineers, one for soldiers. The rest are housing support personnel. There are less than fifty people on base right now, so we have some room to expand and can build a new set if necessary. Are there any further questions?"

There were none.

"Ok, I am available at anytime, should you have any questions or problems, now, if you all will follow me, I'll give you the grand tour.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE** : I used the rank of "Private" to denote rookie and "Corporal" to denote squaddie. Calling the earth's best soldiers "rookies" just didn't feel right :).

Also, I apologize for any typos. I'll fix edit the story to fix them where I find them. I also apologize if some of the language offends you. I can change the rating of the story if I need to.


	2. Chapter 2 - FIRST CONTACT

**Date: 1 January, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM Base, Alps**

Eight soldiers were gathered in the barracks. The bay wasn't exactly roomy, but it wasn't cramped either.

"So, Lazlo, what makes you think you'll be running this place inside a month?" Michelle Lancer asked.

"With a pretty lady like you by my side, can there be any doubt?"

"By your side? You really think you can keep up with me?" came the retort.

"Ohhh, you're a feisty one…I'll be commander and have you as my deputy in no time at all."

"In your dreams Lazlo," Michael Lornstrom but in.

"What is it you Americans say? Don't hate the playa, hate the game! Miche, I got my eye one you." Lazlo bragged.

"It's Michelle, and you best be careful you don't lose that eye, it might be the one you have scope an alien with." She shot back.

"And I'm British SAS, don't ever offend me again by calling me American."

"How many times have we saved your collective butts?" John Kalto asked.

The banter and bragging carried on throughout the day. None of them realized what they were up against, or how difficult the next few weeks would be.

* * *

 **Date: 5 January, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM Base, Alps**

The radar tech was chatting with his buddy, paying little attention to his screen. The base had been built for a few months, but only went online a few days ago. They were supposed to be defenders of earth, but the tech only took the assignment because it was supposed to be a prestigious one. More like boring. He thought.

Things became much less boring a few minutes later when an alarm told him the radar system had detected and unknown craft. He made the call to central and the alert 5 pilot was launched. The alert 15 pilot moved to his Japanese INTERCEPTOR fighter just in case the first launch needed backup.

The base had been on high alert, bored radar tech notwithstanding, since coming online the firs to the year. Pilots rotated in Alert 5, Alert 15 and standby statuses. The Alert 5 pilot sat in his aircraft, ready to launch within 5 minutes, in case of unknown craft detection. The Alert 15 pilot waited in the readyroom, but his craft was ready to go if needed.

The aircraft, a Japanese Mitsubishi F/A-47 INTERCEPTOR, was new and could currently outclass every fighter on the planet. They were about to see how it fared against a fighter from another planet.

The watch officer walked over to the radar screen. "Put the transmissions on overhead," he ordered.

 _"I see the unknown craft on radar. Still no visual."_ The pilot reported.

"Roger, close to visual distance." The watch officer ordered. They needed a visual confirmation before taking any sort of hostile action.

 _"Ok, coming into visual range. That thing is hard to see, it almost shimmers. It is definitely not of earthly origin. I say again, definitely not of earthly origin."_

Just then a green bolt of energy shot past the Interceptor aircraft.

 _"Whoa! Enemy craft opened fire, going hot on Stingray Missiles."_

"You have weapons release, Interceptor-1." Control replied.

 _"Fox-2…standby for assessment…wide…firing again…Fox-2!"_

The watch team were engrossed in the display. They watched airbattle from their display. The unknown craft fired three times, hitting the interceptor once, with little damage. The interceptor fired 4 missiles, hitting three times and finally downing the aircraft.

"Interceptor-1, do you have a visual on the downed craft?"

" _Negative, control. I'll put a marker on best guess."_

The marker was the best estimate of the location of the downed craft. The ground team would be briefed and sent to investigate the site.

"Roger, Interceptor-1. Return to base. Control out."

 **Base briefing room, 1 Hour later**

Eight privates sat in the first row of the briefing room. The watch officer stood next to the podium to address them. His tone was informal, but still professional.

"Ok, privates, you are about to embark on an historic mission. This could be the first encounter with a non-terrestrial species for mankind."

"They have a funny way of saying hello," Private Dimas quipped.

"Yes, they have displayed hostile intent. Your directives for first contact have been modified as a result. You are to secure the site, Capture the unknown craft, Capture any of the occupants if you can. If not defend yourselves without prejudice. The craft went down in a remote farm, so take care as you exit the aircraft and find cover where you can. Scout the area, and secure whatever you can. We'll send a salvage team when the area is secure. Questions?"

There were none, so the privates were dismissed and headed for the armory to suit up and equip themselves before loading the SKYRANGER transport aircraft.

* * *

 **Date: 5 January, 1999  
** **Location: Turceni, Romania, UFO Crash Site**

The Skyranger aircraft, an advanced VTOL transport dubbed "SKYRANGER-1," touched down in a field outside a remote village. The ramp lowered and all eight soldiers were on their feet. They had been briefed on their mission and needed no prompting.

Private Michael Lorstrom was the first off the aircraft. As soon as he got to the bottom of the ramp, a green bolt of energy came seemingly out of nowhere and hit him square in the chest. The green bolt cut right through his Kevlar armor, killing him instantly. He went down without a scream.

"What the hell was that?" screamed Private Jaques Tomiere.

"Everyone standfast!" ordered Private Miguel Jimenez.

Private Jimenez slowly moved to the rear entrance. Using the plane's interior as cover, he scanned the area. It was dusk, so the light level was low, but eventually saw a humanoid form. It was short, roughly three feet in height, and the body was grossly disproportionate. The head was abnormally large, while the arms and legs were abnormally small.

"Madre de Dios!" he exclaimed. "It's an actual alien."

Then, his training took over and he leveled his M-18, a fully automatic light infantry rifle, and fired three rounds. All the rounds missed, but they had the effect of distracting the alien so that the next member of the squad could exit the aircraft without getting shot.

Private Michelle Lancer jumped to the side of the ramp, got on her knees and fired off three rounds. The struck the alien in its abnormally large head and it went down with a vile scream.

Private Lazlo Dimas was at the back of the group. He turned around and ran for the cockpit door, banging on it. "Open up! Let me in! I'm not going out there! Aliens shooting green shit that cuts through our armor? Hell no! Let me in!" he screamed.

"Lazlo, control yourself!" Private Jimenez ordered.

"You control yourself!" he shot back.

"Fine, you stay here, you'll wind up getting us all killed. You leave this plane and I'll shoot you myself, _entiendes?_ " Jimenez said. Then he turned to the others. Tomiere, Lancer, you're with me. Kalto, give us five minutes than you take the other two and search in the opposite direction. We'll secure the craft and kill any more of those… _things_ …and salvage what can, agreed?"

Private John Kalto nodded in reply.

Jimenez and Tomiere jumped off the ramp to join Lancer and the three of them went to examine the dead alien.

Lancer was the first to speak, "It looks like some sort of human-insect hybrid."

"How you say? An insectoid," Tomiere agreed.

"What's that weapon?" Jimenez asked.

There was no time for a reply, another green bolt shot overhead. All three of them got down on their knees and looked around for the shooter.

Another green bolt caught Tomiere on the shoulder.

"There!" Lancer pointed.

Jimenez squeezed off a three round burst and caught the alien. With a piercing shriek, it fell to the ground.

Lancer turned towards Tomiere. "You ok?"

"I'm still alive, if that's what you mean, but that green shit burns like hell." He replied.

Private Lancer pulled out her medkit and treated the wound. "Get back to the sky ranger, Jimenez and I will scout the area.

 _"Jimenez, Kalto,"_ the voice came over the radio. _"I think we located the alien craft, but I can't see any way to get in."_

"Establish a perimeter, we're on our way." Jimenez responded.

The alien craft was silvery, but seems to glisten in an oily sort of way. There was an oval on what they assumed as the front, about 6 feet tall. The craft itself was round, about 7 feet in height and about 18 feet in diameter. Next to the oval that they assumed was the opening was a smaller oval, slightly darker than the rest of the craft. It would have been invisible except it was the only part that didn't have the weird metallic sheen the rest of the craft did.

Jimenez reached out to touch it, and when his hand got close the door disappeared.

A green bolt shot out from inside the craft, but it did not hit anyone. Private Kalto was the first to see the shooter and fired off a three round burst. The first one missed, but his second burst struck the target. The alien, the insectoid, went down with the same piercing shriek.

Private Ivan Vadimovich was the first to enter. In the center of the craft was a large glowing cylinder, about 8 feet in height and 3 feet around. He took cover behind that and looked around. He was the only one in the craft.

"Clear!" he called out.

Kalto entered the craft and looked around. Aside from the cylinder in the center, the craft was pretty Spartan. There were some controls in a semicircle to his left, what he assumed was along the front half of the craft, and some, what he assumed were chairs and cargo boxes along the rest. Otherwise it was completely empty.

"Ok, Kalto, you and your team secure the craft, Lancer and I will scout the area."

"Roger."

Privates Jimenez and Lancer scouted the area immediately around the alien craft and the Skyranger. There were no more aliens lurking about, so he made the call into base.

"Control, this is Private Jimenez. Enemy craft has been secured, area is clear of hostiles. One team member, KIA, one wounded. Three enemy corpses to bring home and some weird artifacts. Recommend sending a salvage team for the enemy craft."

 _"Roger, salvage team enroute. Maintain control of the site until salvage operations complete. Control out."_

* * *

 **Date: 6 January, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM Base, Alps**

Six privates sat in the briefing room. Private Tomiere was in medical and Private Lornstrom's body was in the morgue. The team had succeeded in their first mission, but it had cost them. A major was there to debrief them, but he just sat on the stage, facing them. Given what happened, he was keeping this very informal.

"Break it down for me," the Major began. "What happened?"

Private Jimenez stood, but the major motioned for him to sit. He sat again and the started his account of what happened. "Mike, er, Private Lornstrom, was the first to exit the aircraft. He was immediately gunned down. It was like a fat laser or something, a green bolt, tore right through his armor, like he wasn't wearing any. I returned fire, from inside the Skyranger, but I missed. Private Lancer jumped down and succeeded in killing the first alien."

"What was it?" the major asked.

"We brought the bodies back, sir. It was some sort of insectoid creature. Oversized head, undersized legs and arms. We came under fire again while examining the body. That's when Private Tomiere was hit, sir. Ms. Lancer here treated the wound and he was back in action, although I had him return to the Skyranger."

"Private Lancer, your quick thinking very likely saved his life. He'll take about a week to recover, but he'll rejoin the fight soon enough." The Major commended her. "Ok, what happened next?"

"Sir, if I may." Private Kalto began. The major nodded and the private started his factual account. "I saw the exchange between Miguel's team and the creature. Jaques was hit in the shoulder and while Michelle was treating him, Miguel took out the alien. The three of us then exited the aircraft-"

"Three? What about Private Dimas?" the major asked.

There was a brief moment of silence before Miguel spoke up, "He stayed on the Skyranger, just in case Jaques needed tending to."

The major looked at Private Kalto who nodded, and then continued. "The three of us exited the aircraft and the area was clear of hostiles. We found the unknown craft and headed towards it. We went to what I assumed was the back? Anyway, I couldn't figure out how to open it. Seems Miguel here figured it out."

"I didn't really do anything, didn't even touch the control, the door just sort of disappeared when my hand got near it." Miguel cut in.

"Interesting. What did it look like and how far was your hand from it when the door, umm, disappeared?" the major asked.

"It was a small oval, darker than the rest of the craft. My hand was probably only an inch or two away."

"Very interesting. Try it again next time, and we'll see if we can't study that a little more. Doesn't seem very secure." The major mused.

"Well, sir," Jaques spoke up again, "As advanced as they are, they probably don't see us as any sort of threat, security or otherwise."

"Good point, Mr. Tomiere. Please continue."

"Well, sir, as soon as the door opened, shots came through from inside. Didn't hit anyone though. I fired a three round burst and missed. I fired again and the alien went down. Ivan entered the craft first, called it clear and then I entered. Once the craft was secure, Miguel and Michelle scouted the area some more."

"And once it was clear the area was secure, I called for the salvage team." Miguel concluded.

"Well, from a research point of view, you all brought back a gold mine. And while the mission was tough, and costly, you all gathered some valuable intel."

"Sir," Private Lancer began, "how are we going to use this intel to keep ourselves from getting killed?"

"Two immediate items." The Major held up one finger. "First, we have received a heavy weapons platform. HWP for short. It will be controlled from here and will be the first, umm, soldier, off the Skyranger. It will serve as a scout and absorb any immediate fire from the enemy." He held up two fingers. "Second, our scientists are close to bringing down the size of our own lasers. We'll have laser pistols, and even rifles, soon. That should level the playing field a little."

"What about armor sir?" Miguel asked. "We might as well be naked for all the protection Kevlar gives us."

"Noted," the Major replied. "I'll recommend our scientist research the alloy from the alien craft. Maybe we can use some of that to improve our armor. Any other questions or recommendations?"

Nobody had anything.

"You all have experienced something no other human being ever has. We're getting reinforcements so you'll have more people and you'll have an HWP to assist. The aliens are superior to us in many ways, but we're also recruiting more of the world's top scientists to research and reverse engineer their technology. Soon, you will have better weapons and if our scientist and engineers can manage it, better armor."

"Now, the good news." The tone shifted dramatically.

"Miguel Jimenez, Michelle Lancer and John Kalto, you three are hereby promoted to corporal. Let me clear, all of you acted in a phenomenal fashion, but you three stood out. Miguel, John, I'm not sure how you agreed to the squad setup, but let's keep that for the next mission. We'll add one more man each. Michelle, we'd like to formally make you the team medic. You'll carry and extra medkit and only a pistol intead of a rifle. You'll be on hand to treat the injuries as able. We're making improvements to the medkit as well. That should help improve survival. You all had a tough and very stressful mission. I wish I could say it will get easier, but given what we're up against, it will probably get tougher and more stressful. The good news is you are not alone. The entire world, and its resources, are behind you."

The Major's speech had the intended effect. They smiled, and the three privates congratulated the three corporals. They were dismissed in better spirits then when they arrived.

When they returned to the barracks, Lazlo called everyone to his bunk. "So, I won't need breakfast. I've had a huge helping of humble pie." He began. "I wanted to apologize to y'all. I've been sort of a jerk. I appreciate you covering for me, but I can't for the life me figure out why."

"It's like _el jefe_ said," Miguel replied. "We just faced something no other human on earth has ever faced. We all saw what happened to Mike and I'm pretty sure we all freaked out a little."

"Yeah man," John added. "I'll be honest, I almost didn't leave the aircraft myself."

The rest of the group nodded. Finally, Michelle spoke, "I still don't like you," she said with a twinkle in her eye, "but no one can blame you for panicking. Just don't make a habit out of it, or somebody will die."

Lazlo nodded solemnly. The bravado was gone, replaced with determination not to let his teammates down.

* * *

 **Date: 8 January, 1999  
** **Location: United Nations, Office of XCOM Funding, Geneva**

The United States of American was the OXF's largest backer. They had tried to use this fact to get the first base established in the U.S., but were over-ruled. As a consolation prize, they were given chair of the committee. To be rotated in two years, if the war was still ongoing.

In typical American fashion, the U.S. Ambassador began the meeting very abruptly. "There can be no question now that the aliens have hostile intent. They opened fire on our interceptor as soon as they were in range."

A cacophony of noise erupted in the room. The intent of aliens had been one of the biggest controversies at the initial meeting, second only to their existence. Now that the existence of aliens had been proven, at least to those with clearance, their intent was the hottest topic.

The U.S. Ambassador banged her gavel in an attempt to restore order. "It is clear from the recordings that the alien craft initiated hostilities. Furthermore, when our ground team arrived on site, the first soldier out of the transport was gunned down, without provocation. There can no longer be any argument or discussion. The unknown aliens clearly have hostile intent to our planet. So, now the question is, what do we do about it?"

The Russian Federation Ambassador was the first to speak. Far be it for me to agree with my American counterpart," he said with a half-smile, "but she is correct. The aliens have shown us that they have hostile intentions. We should let the commander of the XCOM project have the authority to recruit combat and support personnel as he sees fit.

"And give up our oversight ability?" the Australian Ambassador objected.

"We'll still have oversight," the Japanese Ambassador replied, through an interpretor. "We still control the funding. Soldiers and scientists will need to be paid. Support personnel need to be paid. The base will still require upkeep. All this cost money, which we control."

The other ambassadors found that logic hard to argue. The council was formed not only to implement and oversee the XCOM project, but to fund it as well. If the project did well, they could increase funding. If the project went poorly, they could reduce funding, or even terminate it outright.

"So," the German Ambassasor summarized, "We grant the commander the authority to recruit and hire who he wants, as many people as he wants, but we maintain oversight through funding, or lack thereof. Sounds efficient to me."

"I motion we vote on granting the commander due authority." The Russian Ambassador said.

"I second that motion." The German Ambassador said.

"All in favor?" the American asked.

Twelve of the 16 ambassadors signaled their approval.

"All against?" the American asked.

Four of the 16 ambassadors signaled their disapproval.

"Motion carries. We'll meet again in three weeks' time to determine the efficiency of the program and adjust funding accordingly. Council is adjourned." The American Ambassador banged her gavel one final time, bringing the meeting to a close.

* * *

 **Date: January 14, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM Base, Alps**

The radar center was a different place than it was just two weeks ago. After the first battle with the Aliens, the bodies had been brought back and every person on base had seen them, proof positive that Aliens not only existed, but had hostile intentions toward earth.

The radar techs kept their talking to a minimum. Pilots no longer complained about the long alert watches. Even the soldier's bravado was gone. Everyone was all business, yet everyone knew they were a team. When the second UFO was detected, the difference was palpable.

The Alert-5 pilot launched within three minutes. The radar tech guided him to the target. The ground team were armored up and armed before the air engagement was over.

The Interceptor used all six Stingray Missiles and switched to his Vulcan 30 mm cannon. He closed on the UFO and took some damage, but the pilot was skilled and aimed his cannon at the portions that had been damaged by his missiles. The UFO crashed and the pilot recorded its position for the ground crew.

 **Base briefing room, 30 minutes later**

There were now ten soldiers in the briefing room, six from the original mission and four new soldiers, deemed "rookies" by the six who went out previously. The major was all business for this briefing.

"Alright, for the benefit of the new privates, this is what we are up against." An image of the UFO went up on the screen. "This is a scout ship. It is 8 feet high and 18 feet in diameter. It is manned by three of these 'Sectoid' aliens." The image changed to a picture of the insectoid looking creature, dubbed "Sectoid" by the soldiers when briefing the scientists on the aftermath of their first encounter.

"We have not yet determined what kind of weapons they are using. Our scientists are still researching the alloy that the aliens use in their craft, but their weapons are a priority. We do have laser pistols available. Our engineers are still working the kinks out of the rifles, so you'll use M-18's for this mission, but each of you can take a laser pistol for your secondary. Their fast, accurate and don't require clips."

"When you land, the HWP will be first off the Skyranger. It will be controlled from here. You'll then maneuver in two squads, four soldiers each, plus one medic. Corporal Jimenez will lead Squad 1 and Corporal Tomiere will lead squad 2. Squad 1 will secure the crash site, and your callsign will be Gamma. Squad 2 will secure the enemy craft, and your callsign will be Zeta. All non-terrestrial life is to be treated as hostile and dealt with accordingly. Any questions?"

There were none. The rookies still found it hard to believe what they were up against and the veterans were reliving that moment when Private Lornstrom first exited the Skyranger.

The major dismissed the team and, as one, they headed towards the hangar to board SKYRANGER-1.

* * *

 **Date: January 14, 1999  
** **Location: Gomadingen, Germany**

The Skyranger landed in a small clearing inside a forest. It was the middle of the day, so there was plenty of light, but visibility was still obscured by the trees. Quarters were tight. Four seats were removed to make room for the HWP, and the remaining seats were moved much closer together.

"Control, this is Gamma-1, ready to disembark. Waiting on HWP scout."

The HWP came to life and rolled down the ramp. The HWP, or Heavy Weapon Platform, was essentially a mini tank. There were two treads, one on each side. On top of the treads was a triangle of hardened steel, 1 inch thick. Each side had a ruggedized camera. On top was a .50 cal machine gun, with another ruggedized camera mounted to it. It stopped at the bottom and the gun mounted camera panned around. Seeing nothing in the immediate area, it began its search for the UFO.

Corporal Jimenez and his team disembarked. They set a perimeter around the ramp, on soldier on each corner, and scanned the immediate area. The HWP may not have seen anything, but Jimenez remembered all too clearly what happened on the last mission.

Corporal Kalto descended the ramp with his squad, and they began a search for the UFO. They found it just a few meters north of the Skyranger. The corporal positioned his men around the door. He leaned up against the outer hull of the UFO on one side, Private Dimas on the other side, and an additional squad member kneeled next to each of them, out of any direct line of fire from inside.

Kalto found the obscure oval next to the door and waved his hand over it. Nothing happened. He moved his hand a little closer and tried again, still nothing. He moved to actually touch the oval and just before making contact, the door disappeared.

Acrid smoke poured out of the UFO. They could see a little daylight coming from a hole in the top. It appeared the cylinder in the middle exploded on impact, ripping a hold in the roof. Kalto nodded to Dimas.

Without a word needing to be spoken, Lazlo Dimas and the private next to him entered the craft. There was a Sectiod hiding behind one of the chairs. The sectoid fired and hit the private in the arm. Dimas returned fire. He missed through the smoke, but took cover behind a nearby seat. A green bolt flew over his head. Dimas kept his wits about him though. He paused, slowed his breathing and squeezed off a single round. The Section fell to the floor.

"Clear!" he called out, as best he could through the smoke.

Kalto and the other private entered. The three of them did a quick search, found a Sectoid body still in its chair. The dragged both bodies out of the craft and any artifacts they could find, then stayed outside, getting some fresh air.

Private Lisa Boullard was treating the wounded soldier, and Corporal Kalto made a call on his radio. "This is Zeta-1. Craft secure, two Sectoids, five artifacts recovered."

"This is Gamma-1. Roger. Out." Corporal Jimenez acknowledged Zeta squad's message and then set out searching for the third Sectoid. There were three last time, so he assumed there was one more on the loose. He wasn't disappointed. A moment later, Corporal Lancer pointed to some underbrush.

"There! The little bugger is running!"

"Ok, squad, we need to be careful. Tomiere, take one of the rookies and circle around to the left. I'll take the other and circle to the right. Michelle, you stay here in case we flush him out. Take cover and don't get shot."

The squad split up to search for the Sectoid. Tomiere found it and fired off a three round burst. It went wide. His rookie partner also fired off a burst that went wide. They succeeded in flushing it toward Jimenez however. Jimenez and his rookie partner both fired a three round burst. The rookie was wide, but Jimenez was dead on. The Sectoid fell to the ground with a loud screech.

Jimenez and his team scouted out the immediate area and found no more Sectoids. He got on the radio to headquarters. "Control, this is Gamma-1. Area and craft are both secure, recommend sending salvage team. One team member wounded. Three enemy corpses to bring home and some more weird artifacts. Recommend sending a salvage team for the enemy craft. Out."

* * *

 **Date: January 14, 1999  
** **Location: Skyranger-1, Enroute to Base**

The team was about two thirds of the way home, when they received an unwelcome surprise. One of the Sectoids was not dead. It clawed its way out of the body bag and looked around, let out a shriek and ran behind the HWP.

"Damn thing's still alive!" Tomiere shouted as he brought his M-18 to bear.

"Hold Fire!" Jimenez ordered. "Don't shoot in here, damnit! You'll puncture the skin and the cabin will depressurize."

"Control, this is Gamma-1, we have a live one onboard. I say again, we have a live one onboard."

 _"Gamma-1, Control, that's fantastic. Keep it secure. Do not kill unless in self-defense."_

"Roger Control. Recommend having a team on standby when we land."

 _"This is Control. Roger. Out."_

"Keep it secure, my ass," Jaques said.

"You know, Jaques, for a Frenchmen, you're starting to sound like an American," Michelle teased.

Jaques responded with a glare.

Jimenez just shook his head. "Dios mios," he muttered.

* * *

 **Date: January 14, 1999 – Two hours later  
** **Location: XCOM Base, Alps**

The Skyranger aircraft landed in the hangar and was immediately surrounded by a security team. When the ramp lowered, the Sectoid bolted…

Right into the stun rod of one of the security personnel. The Sectoid was quickly stunned and brought to the Alien Containment Facility on the base.

The Major was pleased. "This is phenomenal! A chance to interrogate a live specimen! You all did a great job bringing him back alive."

"He was more afraid of us than we were of him," Kalto quipped.

The team laughed and made their way to the briefing room.

Once they were there, the rookies took the second row-except the one that was in medical-while the veterans took the first row. The Major sat on the stage again, and kept the briefing informal. "Alright, Gamma Squad, you first. Break it down for me."

"Sir," Jimenez began, "Not much excitement on our side this time. The HWP rolled down the ramp and did its job. No Sectoids in the immediate area. Zeta squad found the UFO, and went in that direction. We went in the opposite direction to finish scouting the area. We heard one in the underbrush and split up to surround it. Tomiere and Johnson fired in the direction of the noise to flush it out. It came in my direction and I killed it with a three round burst."

The major nodded.

"After that, we scouted the perimeter of the site, but found no more Sectoids. That's all I have to report sir. This was much easier than the first mission, but we still had one injury. I'll defer to Corporal Kalto."

On cue, Corporal Kalto stood and gave his report. "Sir, Zeta squad made their way to the downed craft. This one was severely damaged. That glowing cylinder object in the center, I'm going to assume it's an engine of some sort, but I'll leave the smart guys in suits to figure that out. Anyway, it apparently exploded from damage, which blew a hole in the top of the UFO. There was still a lot of heavy smoke coming out from the door. I waited a moment to let it clear a little and sent in Privates Dimas and Cutter."

Private Dimas stood to continue the report, "Sir, there was one live Sectoid inside the craft. He fired at Private Cutter, hitting him in the arm. I returned fire and killed the alien. Or at least I thought, I did. I must have just wounded it enough that it lost consciousness. It came to on the way back, but you know about that. So, we looked around and found one Sectoid already dead, still in its chair. The smoke was pretty bad though, I brought Cutter out so he could get treated and then the corporal took a team in to bring the bodies and artifacts out."

The three soldier sat down and the Major started talking. "Overall that was a really good mission, folks. Private Cutter might disagree, but he'll be ok. He'll be out of sick bay tomorrow and back in action just a few days later. Private Dimas. You handled yourself very well. The Commander is promoting you to Corporal. Congratulations."

After a brief applause, the Major continued. "Also, the Commander wants a Team lead, as well as two squad leaders. Kalto, Jimenez, you've both been exemplary. But, I can only promote one of you. Corporal Jimenez, you have a real knack for leading our soldiers and the Commander has noticed how you take charge and don't let panic overwhelm you. This is not knock against any of you…each of you has performed admirably. Amongst all the admirable performers, Jimenez has stood out. Congratulations, Sergeant Jimenez."

Again, brief applause from the soldiers. Sergeant Jimenez looked humble through it all. He knew he'd get some ribbing once they got back to the barracks.

After returning their gear to the armory, the team returned to the barracks. Newly promoted Sergeant Jimenez was right about the ribbing.

"So, how do you say 'sergeant' in español?" Kalto asked.

"Sergento" Jimenez replied, pronouncing it Sar-hento.

"Segento Jimenez," Kalto said…nice ring to it.

"Or just _gento_ " Michelle teased.

"That's it," Jaques added. "Sergeant, Miguel ' _Gento'_ Jimenez."

"But what about when I become Commander?" Jimenez asked, playing the cocky target perfectly.

Dimas piped up, which was ironic given he bragged about being promoted as quickly as Miguel actually was, "Then we switch _gento_ to _jefe_ , easy peasy, boss."

That caused no small amount of laughter, and in a small way, it showed Dimas really had become a team player.

* * *

 **Date: 15 January, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM Base, Alps, Alien Containment Facility.**

The Scientists were excited to get their chance at interrogating a live alien. The Alien containment facility had ten compartments. They were sealed and secure, so the aliens could not escape, but they were also transparent so the aliens could be studied and, the scientists hoped, communicated with.

Currently just one cell was occupied. A small table and three chairs were placed in front of it. Three scientists sat in the chairs, looking intently at the Sectoid, wondering how to communicate with it. They were startled when the Sectoid initiated communication with them.

"Why do you not treat my injuries?" The voice seemed otherworldly and the Sectoid's mouth appeared to be still. The scientists looked at each other, unsure if they actually heard it or not. The Sectoid seemed impatient and repeated itself. "Why do you not treat my injuries?" it demanded.

"We will," the scientist in the middle chair replied. "But first, we have some questions for you. To start, how do you speak English?"

"We have studied your world for some time. Your language is primitive and easy to learn."

"Primitive, eh? Ok. So tell me, that glowing cylinder in the middle of your UFO, is that the engine?"

"Our power source is beyond your comprehension. So are our methods of navigation." It replied with derision.

"So, Mr. Sectoid, can I call you Sectoid?"

"What is this 'sectoid' that is unknown to me."

"It's what we call you, you are an insectoid creature."

The Sectoid let out a scream that the scientists took as anger.

"YOU are but small insects to US. You will refrain from such insults!" If its mouth moved it would have spat.

"So, then, you consider yourself better than us?" the scientist changed tack.

"We are so much more than you are or ever will be."

"If that's the case, then how is it that we shot down your advanced craft?" The scientist baited the alien.

The alien took the bait. "You got lucky. That is but a small craft, a mere scout. We have much bigger vessels, including a battleship that can destroy your aircraft in one shot!"

"So they're big then?"

"Bigger than your entire base. One landing pad is the size of my ship."

"And where are these battleships? All we've seen are these alleged scout vessels."

"They are never far away. They lie in wait for the command of the Ethereal Ones."

"Ethereal Ones? Who are they?"

Before the Sectoid could respond, it clasped its hands to its head, let out a loud, piercing shriek and collapsed.

 **Commander's Office – 1 hour later**

The lead scientist, Major Coppersmith and the Commander all met in his office to discuss what was learned from their live alien captive. While the "interview" had been brief, they had actually learned quite a bit about the threat that earth was now facing.

"Alright, start from the beginning, tell me what he told you and what you learned from it," The commander instructed.

"Yessir, first items we learned directly." The scientist ticked off each finger as he list the facts. "First, this is only one race. There is another he called, the ethereal ones. Next, the ships we've encountered directly are small ships. He called them scout vessels. They also have larger vessels, including battleships, which he claimed could destroy our fighters with one shot. Finally, they have been studying us for some time. They know us much better than we know them."

"That will have to change and quickly," the Commander determined.

"Yessir, here is what we learned indirectly. The aliens operate on a hierarchy. The ones we've encountered are apparently at the bottom, but they are still extremely confident. If they were human, we'd call them arrogant. The one we talked to was a navigator on the last scout we shot down. He claimed we got 'lucky.' The other race is apparently more powerful and at the top of the hierarchy."

The scientist took a sip of water and then continued. "They have a fleet of ships in our solar system, and we suspect their main base of operations is actually close by, umm, relatively speaking. Our autopsy has shown that this race has been genetically modified, maybe even engineered. We suspect the ethereal ones are behind that. That about covers our first session, sir. I would recommend we try to capture more aliens, if we can."

"How can we do that without putting or soldiers at risk?" the Commander asked.

"Sir, right now, we can't." The Major replied. "Their weapons are too powerful. If we try to get close with our stun rods, our troops will be killed before they get the chance."

"What do you recommend, Major?" The commander replied.

"Sir, we need better armor for our troops. Maybe if shift our research focus from the laser program to the alien alloys, we can come up with something to help mitigate the damage the alien weapons do."

The Commander nodded and then turned to the scientist. "Make it so. Shift all your research to the 'alien alloys.' First, see if we can use them. Second, if so, figure out how to make new armor with them." He instructed, concluding the meeting.

* * *

 **Date: 24 January, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM Base, Alps, Armory**

The Major gathered fifteen soldiers around him. He was going to show them the first fruits of their labor. "Ladies and Gentlemen," he began with a flourish, "You fought hard to bring us alien artifacts and materials. Our scientists and engineers labored hard to reverse engineer and use them. This is the result. I give you the Mark-1 Personal Armor."

The Major stepped aside to reveal a blue set of full body armor, crafted from the alien alloys. "Jimenez, front and center." He ordered.

Sergeant Jimenez came forward as instructed. He was to be the guinea pig, putting the armor through its paces and test it out. He needed a little help getting it on and fastened, but once he was set, he moved his arms and legs in a testing motion.

"How does it feel?"

"Surprisingly light. Are you sure this will work?"

The Major laughed. "Yes, that's the alien alloy. It is surprising light and malleable, and yet, incredibly strong. How is your range of motion?"

Jimenez performed a few more test maneuvers and nodded. " _Muy Bien_."

"Good." The Major confirmed. "This is our first and only set, but our engineers are working round the clock to fabricate more. We'll release each set as it becomes available. In the meantime, each of you will be armed with our new laser pistol. Rifles will be coming, but we put that program on hold to do this." The Major pointed to the armor.

The group nodded and the Major dismissed them, hoping that the new armor would make a difference.

* * *

 **Date: 25 January, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM Base, Alps**

The Alert-5 was launched just over a minute after the UFO was detected. The Alert-15 aircraft was manned three minutes later, just in case it was needed. Both aircraft were now armed with the new, advanced Avalanche Missiles as well as the more common Stingray Missiles.

The watch officer and technicians were watching the screen, currently showing video feed from INTERCEPTOR-1. The UFO came in to view. This one was larger than the previous one. It was shaped like a plus sign, with the corners being rounded.

The Interceptor Pilot confirmed the watch officer's observation a moment later. " _Control, Interceptor-1, do you see this? It looks like a plus sign. It's looks to be about 25 to 30 feet from tip to tip."_

"Copy, Interceptor-1. Engage with Avalanche Missiles."

" _Roger, moving into range…Fox-1!_ " The pilot called. The missile went wide. The next one struck home, but the third one missed. " _Bingo on Alphas. Switching to Stingray…Fox-2!"_

The Stingray missile was a shorter ranged, less powerful missile than the Avalanche. After the interrogation, XCOM decided to purchase some Avalanche launchers and missiles to upgrade the aircraft. The Avalanche had a longer range and a more powerful warhead, but it was still new and its reliability was still being determined. The pilot then switch to the more common, more reliable Stingray missile, but had to close some range, which also put him at risk.

The first Stingray found its target and the UFO wobbled some, but returned fire. The Interceptor was hit on the wing where the Avalanche launcher was. The pilot managed to hit with another Stingray, which caused the UFO to go down.

" _Splash Uniform-3._ " The pilot reported.

"Confirmed, Interceptor-1. Mark location and return to base. Control out."

 **Base briefing room, 30 minutes later**

Eleven soldiers were assembled in the briefing room. All of them had been out on a mission, so they all knew what they were in for. At least, they thought they were. The Major was still cautious, however.

"Alright, you've all been out there, but don't get over-confident. We're working to even the odds as quickly as we can, but you all know you are out-gunned. We only have two more sets of armor. Tomiere, Kalto, you'll get them. Lancer, Dimas, you get the next sets to come out of the workshop. Everyone will carry laser pistols and medkits. This UFO is a bit bigger than the last one, so expect more hostiles."

"Sir," Private Gonzalez raised an arm. "How will we all fit in the Skryranger?" he asked.

"You'll have to sit this one out, Jose." You'll watch the team with me.

"Miguel, you'll be the team lead, I'll leave the squad direction up to you. Michelle, you're still the team medic. Stay close the sergeant and go where needed. Each of you will have a medkit for emergencies. Any more questions?"

The Major looked around. When there were none, he directed them, "Good, suit up and get to the transport. Dismissed."

* * *

 **Date: 25 January, 1999  
** **Location: Bryngwyn, Wales, Great Britain**

The Skyranger transport did a low pass over the crash site. It the UFO went down between a pair of hills, making landing close difficult. The pilot touched down as close as he could, in a nearby field.

"So, how you wanna handle this, _gento_?" Corporal Kalto asked, using the nickname with respect instead of the ribbing that it was born from.

Sergeant Jimenez considered his options. "We need to secure that craft first. John, you take your team inside…carefully and slowly. Jaques, you secure the entrance and keep Zeta team from getting surprised."

Both corporals nodded in reply.

"Control, Alpha-1, team ready to disembark, waiting on HWP."

In response, the HWP came to life. It's .50 elevated slightly, moving side to side and then the robot rolled forward on its treads, moving down the ramp. It came under fire immediately. It was hit once, but sturdy enough that it did not take any damage. It got to the bottom of the ramp and its gun swung from side to side, search for the target.

"Ok, John, Jaques, you two are with me. We'll go down first and take out that Sectoid. The rest of you wait for our signal before you disembark."

Miguel was first off the ramp. He came under fire, but took cover behind the HWP. John went to the left and knelt near the landing gear. Jaques mirrored his movement to the right.

"Where is it?" John asked. More fire poured down from above.

"There!" Miguel pointed. "It's….floating?"

"What? Where?" Jaques asked.

"I see it. One o'clock. Up in the air!" John fired his laser pistol, but missed.

Jaques fired and hit the floating alien. The alien wobbled a bit and fired back. Suddenly, a red laser bolt rang out from inside the Skyranger. It struck its mark and the floating alien fell to the ground.

Miguel turned to look and saw Michelle Lancer blow the imaginary smoke from the barrel of her laser pistol.

" _Bueno!_ " Miguel cried. "You're definitely coming with me." He said with a grin. Then he was all business. "Corporal Kalto, take the hill to the left. Corporal Tomiere, take the hill to the right. Apparently the aliens have floating soldiers, so proceed carefully. Meet up at the UFO and follow the plan. Michelle and I will set overwatch from the hill.

When both teams got to the top of their respective hills, they noticed a floating alien right outside the door. It entered the craft before they could fire. They did a survey of the area, but did not see any more aliens, so they met up at the door.

"Gamma-1, put two men on each side of that…wing? That…section. Zeta-1, put two men on each side of the door. Take care when entering there is at least one hostile known to be on the other side of that door."

"Roger."

"Roger."

Once the squads were stationed, Corporal Kalto opened the door. He waited for the enemy fire, but nothing happened. He peered inside and saw the interior. It was silver like the other craft. There seemed to be a cylindrical room in the center, with a wall cutting the UFO roughly in half. There seemed to be a door to the left and another to the right. He quickly gave instructions.

"Dimas, you take Littlefeild and go left. I'll take Ivan and go right. Ready? Move!"

Kalto was the first inside the craft. He ran right into the alien, who fired on him at point blank range, knocking him to the ground. Ivan was right behind him and fired three shots with his laser pistol, hitting and killing the alien.

"Man down!" Private Vadimovich called over the radio.

"I'm ok," Kalto responded as he sat up. I feel like I've been kicked in the chest by a mule, but I'm ok." His armor has a small dent and a black scorch mark where it was hit, but it succeeded in stopping the green energy bolt.

" _Zeta-1, let the medic take a look at you, she's enroute._ " The Sergeant ordered. Ivan helped him to his feet and he exited the craft.

"Dimas, go with Ivan. Lori, take the other side, I'll join you in a minute." He ordered on his way out.

Corporal Dimas and Private Vadimovich quickly moved to the door on the right, while Private Littlefield moved to the door on the left. Private Littlefeild opened her door first. She found a small room, with another door to the right. She entered and stoodby, waiting for Corporal Kalto to return.

Corporal Dimas opened the door to the right and found what must have been the control center. There were navigation consoles, similar to what was on the other craft and some chairs. There were two aliens in the room. One of them noticed Dimas and quickly fired on him. Dimas was hit and went down with a yelp. Private Vadimovich fired his laser pistol and killed the alien, then he dragged Dimas out of the room.

Corporal Lancer and Corporal Kalto entered the UFO. Lancer went to Dimas and Kalto went to Littlefield. Lancer leaned over Lazlo's body and examined him. His eyes were open, but he wasn't breathing and didn't have a pulse. She looked up at Private Vadimovish and shook her head. She closed Lazlo's vacant eyes. "Stupid braggart" she said affectionately.

She turned to Ivan. "We'll mourn him later. Let's get the floating bastards."

Ivan smiled and nodded. The door was still open, but the alien was facing them and firing through the door. "We can't get in without getting hit," Michelle reported.

Corporal Kalto and Private Littlefield were on the other side of the craft. Kalto opened the door and Lori could see the alien, with its back to them. She looked at Kalto, who nodded, then fired off three rounds. Two of the three hit the alien. It let out a shriek and fell to the floor.

Kalto and Lancer entered the bridge from opposite sides.

"Clear!" Kalto called.

The bridge had the navigation consoles on towards the front and a door to the center room in the rear. Kalto and Littlefield stood on side, while Lancer and Vadimovich stood on the other side. They all nodded at each other and Kalto opened the door. There was a large glowing cylinder, a UFO Power source according to the Sectoid captive, but otherwise the room appeared empty.

Private Vadimovich entered to investigate. The room was not empty. One of the floating aliens fired at him from point black range. Without armor to protect him, Ivan was killed intantly.

After seeing Private Vadimovich killed, Private Littlefield panicked, firing her laser pistol indiscriminately into the circular room. She inadvertently hit the powersource, which exploded, killing the alien and sending smoke and debri out the open door.

"Stand down, Private!" Kalto screamed. It was loud and harsh and just what the Private needed to regain control of herself.

"I-I'm sorry, Corporal. I lost control, I just…I just dunno. I'm sorry," she repeated.

"It's ok…this time. You took out the floating alien, that floater, but you have to keep your wits about you, or you could put us all in jeopardy."

She nodded.

"Michelle, cover me, I'm going to check it out."

Michelle nodded and John entered the smoke filled room, did a quick survey and came out again. "Room is clear," he said.

"Alpha-1, this is Zeta-1. UFO is secure, over."

" _Roger. Bring out the bodies and artifacts. Break. Gamma-1, secure the immediate site._ "

It took about 20 minutes for Gamma team to scout the area and for what was left of Zeta team to empty the UFO. Sergeant Jimenez made the call. "Control, this is Alpha-1, site is secure, two team members KIA, one wounded. Five enemy corpses to bring home and some more weird artifacts. Recommend sending a salvage team for the enemy craft. Out."

* * *

 **Date: 25 January, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM Base, Alps**

The Major started his debrief in the usual fashion, sitting on the stage facing he soldiers. There were seven of them, Corporal Kalto was in sickbay getting checked out, sitting in the front row. "Alright, Sergeant, break it down for me."

"It was a new type of alien, sir," Jimenez began. "This one was floating in the air. It was waiting for us as we exited the Skryanger. Fortunately, the HWP drew its fire. We had a hard time locating it and an even harder time hitting it. Corporal Lancer finally killed? Downed? That…floater."

"Floater?" the Major asked.

"Floating Alien, sir." Lancer answered.

The Major nodded and then motioned for Jimenez to continue.

"Sir, I split up Gamma and Zeta squads. The met up at the UFO entrance, while Ms. Lancer and I set overwatch on a nearby hill. Zeta team entered the UFO. That's when Corporal Kalto was shot. The armor kept him alive, but he was still injured. He refused to standby after Ms. Lancer treated him and returned to the UFO. Ms. Lancer insisted on following him in. I'll let her brief you on what happened since John, er, Corporal Kalto, is in sickbay."

Corporal Lancer spoke up, "Sir, Corporal Kalto and I entered the UFO just after Corporal Dimas and Private Vadimovich attempted entry to the bridge. Corporal Dimas was killed by a floater. Vadimovich dragged his body out of the line of fire, but by the time I got there, it was too late. The Floater had the door pretty well covered, but Corporal Kalto and Private Littlefield entered from the other side and took down the Floater."

Lancer took a breath before continuing. "At this point, most of the UFO was secture. There was one room that was in the center. It held the UFO power source. Private Vadimovich entered this room and was killed by a Floater that was hiding. Private Lancer fired into the room, taking out the Floater. The UFO power source exploded. Either through fire or a self-destruct of some sort."

Private Lancer showed a brief look of surprise but quickly moved her expression to a neutral one.

"Thank you Ms. Lancer, after the UFO was secured what happened?"

"Sir," Sergeant Jimenez replied, "Corporal Tomiere and his team scouted the immediate area, but it was clear of hostiles. Once the site was secure, I made the call."

"Thank you, Jimenez." The major began, "Ok, you all have shown what we're up against. The Commander has been approved to recruit more soldiers. We're going to have two complete teams, and Alpha Team and a Beta Team. Each Team will have its own Gamma Squad and Zeta Squad. Tomiere, you are being promoted to Sergeant. So is Kalto, I'll inform him later. You will each be a Team Lead. Lancer, you have done an outstanding job as medic. The commander is promoting you to Sergeant as well."

"What about _Gento_?" Jaques asked.

"Sergeant Jimenez is being given a field commission. He will be promoted to Captain and lead the combined teams."

"We're not sure who the Squad Leaders will be yet, but Private Littlefield, you are being promoted to Corporal and can have one of slots if you want it. You don't have to answer now, think on it and let me know. Sergeant Lancer, you'll pull double duty and be Gamma Lead for Alpha Team."

"We'll get all the details worked out when the new recruits arrive, but for now, are there any more questions or comments?"

"Sir," Tomiere shot up, "They have a more powerful weapon then we first encountered. It shoots the same type of energy bolt, but more powerful. Our lasers still are no match."

"Our engineers have figured out how to manufacture the laser rifles and our scientists are working on a heavier version of the laser." The Major replied.

"Sir, instead of researching weapons that are still inferior, can't we research and reverse engineer the weapons" Lancer asked.

"I agree, sir," Jimenez backed her up, "We've seen firsthand how power they are, and we've brought enough back to equip the entire team. We should figure out how to use them."

"Duly noted. I'll make the recommendation." The Major replied. He never ceased to be surprised on how observant and how bright the soldiers were.

* * *

 **AUTHOR's NOTE** : I decided to break it off here because the next section will deal with new recruits and their reactions to a) the facility and command, plus b) Their first mission. If anyone thinks the chapters should be arranged a little differently, let me know. Constructive criticism is always welcome! For the new readers, I am reworking the chapter layout. For the old readers, I apologize if this causes confusion.


	3. Chapter 3 - NEW RECRUITS

**Date: 28 January, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM Base, Alps**

The Skyranger landed and 13 new recruits descended from the ramp. Well, new to XCOM. They each came with years of experience. None of them had any experience with the current war, however, so they were all given the XCOM rank of Private.

Captain Miguel Jimenez met them at the bottom of the ramp. "Welcome to XOM. Each of you has a tremendous amount of skill and experience from your respective militaries. I'm here to tell you that you all will have to learn an entirely new set of skills and gain experience quickly if you are going to survive."

One of the new privates, Johann Waser, objected to that statement. "I've got 15 years' experience and have been in some pretty deep shit. That's why I was chosen."

"The worst shit that you have seen and been through will pale in comparison to what you will face on your first mission." Jimenez response was cold and distant, but also very matter of fact. It had a chilling effect on the group and there were no more comments as he led them to the briefing room.

Sergeants Tomiere, Lancer and Kalto were waiting for them in there. Kalto was still suffering from two broken ribs from the last mission. He was off rotation, but fit enough to brief the new arrivals.

The rookies sat in the first two rows, while the veterans sat on the stage, facing them.

"Meet your Team Leaders," Jimenez pointed to each in turn, "Sergeant Tomiere will be leading Alpha Team and Sergeant Kalto will eventually be leading Beta Team."

"Eventually?" Private Charles Jones, from Nigeria, asked.

"I was shot by one of the Aliens on the last mission. Even though I was wearing armor made of the alien alloys, I still received two broken ribs and suffered internal bleeding."

"Are the weapons really that powerful?" Private Tom White, also from Nigeria, asked.

Sergeant Lancer looked at Captain Jimenez, who nodded, then moved to the podium.

"We were going to discuss this later in the brief, but since you asked, Private, here is the two part answer. Short answer: Yes."

"And the long answer" Private White asked.

"Our scientists are currently researching the weapon that we first encountered. It is called a Plasma Pistol. It is the weakest of the alien weapons, but it is more powerful than our rifles, the M-18, which is the most advance infantry rifle we have. It is essentially a small, handheld particle accelerator. It creates an internal gravity field, which accelerates the particles, the accelerated particles are then fired out in a bolt of green plasma. The result is deadly. The first person to ever face the aliens was shot in the chest and the plasma bolt cut clear through his Kevlar armor, killing him instantly."

Eyes went wide when she mentioned that.

"We have lost three people in as many missions to these weapons. Our scientists and engineers have created a new form of armor, called Personal Armor. It is made out of the alien alloys. That helps mitigate some of the damage, but not all, as Sergeant Kalto can attest. To make things even better, the aliens have a more powerful version, the Plasma Rifle. The Personal Armor can still stop a bolt, but it will still mess you up inside, quite a bit."

"Any questions?" the Captain asked. Everyone shook their heads and Michelle sat back on the edge of the stage. "Ok, next, Sergeant Tomiere will brief you on the aliens we've encountered and then Kalto will brief you on the Personal Armor."

On cue, Sergeant Tomiere took the stage and the screen showed a picture of the Sectiod from the autopsy as well as notes from the report. "This is a Sectoid, named by Ms. Lancer due to its Human-Insectoid appearance. We managed to catch a live one and 'interview' it a few weeks ago. These aliens are small, only three feet in height. Their heads are abnormally large for their bodies, while their arms and legs are abnormally small. They use Plasma Pistols, probably because their arms are too small for Plasma Rifles, although that is only speculation."

"They don't look very intimidating, Sergeant," Private Vera Borisovich noted.

"When one shoots you square in the chest with a Plasma Pistol, it can be very intimidating" The Sergeant replied and then continued. "They are very intelligent, if they were human, they would be called arrogant. They look down on us as primitive and think it was luck that brought down their scout ships. They move fast and are very aggressive. That being said, they are not very strong and can be killed with an M-18. Don't let their small size fool you though, they can be deadly if you are not paying attention or if you let your ego get in the way."

The screen changed and the autopsy picture of a Floater was displayed next.

"Ok, this is a Floater, so named because these aliens actually float in the air. That metal sphere with the tube going into the body is a sort of anti-grav device that has been surgically grafted into the alien."

"Wait, these things actually fly?" Private White was incredulous.

"The float high up in the air and pick you off with their Plasma Rifle from above. Make no mistake, these guys are fierce. More so than their Sectoid partners. Kill enough Sectoids, the lone remainder may or may not panic. These guys will fight to the last one. Some of them are armed with Plasma Pistols, but most are armed with the more powerful Plasma Rifle. Also, they take at least two shots from our own laser pistols to bring them down."

Sergeant Tomiere sat back on the stage, and Captain Jimenez stood up. "Any questions on the enemy you'll be facing?" he asked.

"Are those the only two types of aliens out there?" One of the privates asked.

"That we know of," Captain Jimenez replied. "The captured Sectoid mentioned 'The Ethereal Ones' so there is at least one more type. There may be more, but we have not encountered any except the two we briefed you on."

Another private raised her arm. The Captain acknowledged her and she asked, "Can you tell us more about the laser pistols we'll be using?"

"Yes. You all will be checked out on the laser pistols and laser rifles before you carry them on your first mission. The laser pistols were developed soon after this project went live. They are slightly more powerful than the M-18 assault rifle. The laser rifles are just on coming online. We're hoping they will help against the Floaters. Any other questions?"

Private White raised his arm again, "When will we know our squad assignments?"

"After your first mission," the Captain responded. "The four of us will take six of you out and see how you react and operate. We'll take the remaining four on the next mission and then we'll dole out the assignments accordingly. As I've told you, what will face out there is unlike anything you have ever been up against. We were all caught off guard on our first mission. Our briefing you and guiding you is not a knock on your abilities, it's our effort to keep you alive."

The briefing and the mini-lecture at the end had a sobering effect on the group. The bravado was gone, and each of the new soldier was left to wonder how they'd fare in the face of this new enemy.

* * *

 **Date: 29 January, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM Base, Alps**

The new group of privates had just finished getting checked out on the laser pistols and the entire team needed to be checked out on the laser rifles. They only had four, but the manufacturing team was working hard to produce more. Fortunately, they had ten full sets of Personal Armor, so each team member would be afforded some protection.

The soldiers were surprised by both the light weight and lack of recoil of the laser weapons. It took a little adjustment to their thinking, but eventually each one managed to get the hang of the laser weapons.

They were just putting the weapons back in the armory when the alarm klaxons went off. Captain Jimenez instructed six of the privates, his two team leads and the medic to don the personal armor and meet him in the briefing room. He made his way to the radar center.

When he arrived, the place was a flurry of activity. The Alert-5 had already been launched and the Alert-15 pilot was climbing into his aircraft. The Major was already there and had a look of deep concern on his fact.

"What is it Major?" The Captain asked.

"If this radar picture is right, the UFO is much larger than any we've seen before."

His assessment was confirmed a few minutes later by the Alert-5 pilot.

" _Control, this is Interceptor-1, this UFO is bigger than anything we have seen to date. I recommend launching the Alert-15._ "

"This is control, roger, launching the Alert-15. Close to Avalanche range and open fire."

The men in the radar center watched the battle unfold. They heard the repeated calls of "Fox-1!" and watched each Avalanche missile strike its mark. The aircraft closed to Stingray range and immediately came under heavy fire. He was ordered to stand-off distance until Interceptor-2 arrived on the scene.

" _Control, this is Interceptor-2. Closing to Avalanche range…Fox-1!"_

Like Interceptor-1, Interceptor-2 fired all three Avalanche missiles. Fortunately, the six missile launched against the UFO was enough to cause it to crash nearby. The INTERCEPTOR fighters marked the location and returned to base.

 **Briefing Room – 15 minutes later**

Captain Jimenez wasted no time in getting started. "Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the largest UFO we have seen to date. I'll be the first off the SKYRANGER, along with Private Felicity Smith, who will be our medic. Whittaker, Xavier, Rodriguez, you will be with Sergeant Tomiere, Gamma Squad Lead. Valich, Lorenzo Loquin, you will be with Sergeant Lancer, Zeta Squad lead. Sergeant Kalto is still recovering from injuries and has not been cleared from this mission. Each of the privates will carry laser pistols and grenades for this mission. Your squad leaders will get you situated in the Skyranger. I will armor up and meet you there. Any questions, you can ask enroute. Dismissed!"

* * *

 **Date: 29 January, 1999  
** **Location: Serfaus, Austria**

As the SKYRANGER passed over the landing site, the pilots got a good view of the crashed UFO. It cut a swath through the jungle as it crashed. Unfortunately, the SKYRANGER had trouble finding a suitable spot nearby. Although, when it did land, it managed to point its rear door towards the UFO, in order to make it easier on the team.

The rear door opened, and the ramp descended. Captain Jimenez got on his comms, "Control, Alpha-1, we're ready to disembark."

In response, the HWP came to life and rolled down the ramp. The turret swung from one side to the other and then the HWP rolled forward out of the way. Captain Jimenez got about halfway down the ramp when two green bolts of plasma were fired in his direction. The first missed and hit the ramp. The second one struck his leg. The armor absorbed the impact, but his leg buckled and he fell off the side of the ramp, landing on the leg that had been shot.

He recovered quickly and scouted the area. Private Smith, on seeing the plasma, got down on her knees and looked around. She found the offender. "Floater! Seven O'clock!" She fired off three shots with her laser pistol. Two went wide, one hit the alien.

Jimenez looked up and found it. He fired off three shots with his laser rifer and struck the alien twice. The Floater let out a piercing cry and crashed to the ground with a loud thud. Smith was next to the Captain seconds later, tending to his leg. Sergeant Lancer was by his side a moment later.

"How do you want us to proceed, _Gento_?" she asked.

"Like we briefed, your team scouts around the UFO, Tomiere and his team enter the craft. I'll join you in a few minutes."

"You're not joining anyone, sir." The medic replied.

"Yes, yes I am."

"Sir," the medic insisted. "Your leg is in bad shape. You need to remain behind."

"Yeah, and I'll prolyl regret it later. Still, give me some pain killers and a stimulant," Gento ordered.

"Yessir," the medic replied, with a mixture of irritation and respect.

 _Gamma Squad – Crashed UFO_

The squad made it to the UFO without incident. Tomiere and his team scouted the immediate area and then he called the Captain. "Alpha-1, this is Gamma-1. Area around the UFO is secure. This one is huge. I estimate about thirty-five feet in diameter. Three stories high, easy. There is a door on the south side and a door on the west side. Which should enter?"

" _Gamma-1, enter through the west door. Break. Zeta-1, meet me at the south entrance, we'll enter through there._ "

" _This is Zeta-1, roger out._ "

"This is Gamma-1, roger out." Tomiere turned to his team. "You heard the Captain, let's move."

Gamma Squad moved to the west entrance of the UFO. Tomiere took up one side with one of his soldiers, and the other two went to the other side. He then moved his hand over the small oval next to the door and the door disappeared. They waited a brief moment for any enemy fire. When none came, Tomiere peeked his head around the corner.

He saw a short hallway, about six feet wide and twelve feet long. There were no doors leading into or out of the passageway, but there was an odd glowing red square at the far end. Tomiere pointed to his team in the order they were to follow him in and then entered the UFO.

 _Zeta Squad – Crashed UFO, South Entrance_

Zeta squad met the Captain and the medic at the UFO. "Ok, Sergeant, I'll go in first, you and your team follow close behind," the Captain began.

"Excuse me, sir," Sergeant Lancer interrupted, "But I respectfully request you allow me to lead my team in, first, you're injured, second, it's my place to lead my team."

Captain Jimenez looked at her, then her team, then back at her. Finally, he nodded. "Ok, Smith and I will stand overwatch and protect your six. By the numbers, Sergeant.

"Yessir!" she responded. She took up position on one side of the door, with her team falling in behind her. The Captain and the medic were on the other side. Captain Jimenez looked at Sergeant Lancer, "Si, _Gento_ " she said. The Captain moved his hand over the oval and the door disappeared.

Sergeant Lancer counted to five and then peeked her head around the corner. Her view was obstructed by a wall, she quickly entered and took cover next to the wall that was directly in front of the entrance. There was another wall to the left of the entrance. Lancer stood with her left shoulder pressed against the wall directly in front of the door. She saw three large, clear cylinders, filled with a translucent fluid that was light blue in color.

She looked back at her team, pointed to one member and then one of the cylinders, then the next and another cylinder, than the third team member and the third cylinder. Once each of her team members had taken cover behind a cylinder. Sergeant Lancer was able to view the room. There was a large table in the center of it, which appeared to have various instruments on each side. A large four legged animal was on its back, hooves up in the air, with its midsection cut open.

Then she saw the floor. There were two dead Floaters. She had to repress a yelp at what she saw next: Private Whittaker was lying dead, the scorch marks of a plasma bolt on his neck and face.

 _Gamma Squad – Inside the Crashed UFO, a few minutes earlier_

"Sergeant, what is that?" Private Xavier asked.

"I'm not sure, Miriam. To be honest, we have never encountered this before." Sergeant Tomiere stepped onto the red pad. He looked up and could see the next level. "It appears to be a way up," he said. As soon as the word "up" left his lips, he started to rise. He was on the next level a moment later. _Ok_ , he thought to himself, _how do I get down?_ As soon as he thought the word down, he descended back to the first level.

"How'd you do that Sergeant?" Private Whittaker asked.

"I'm not sure. I think it reads your mind. Think 'up' and you go up. Think 'down' and you go down. Hang on."

Sergeant Tomiere thought, "up" and he rose up to the next level. "Ok, each of you try it."

While he waited for his team, he looked around. He was in a square room. The north, west and south walls each had a door in the middle, the east wall was solid. When his entire team was with him, he sent Private Xavier through the south door, Private Whittaker through the west door and had Private Rodriguez follow him through the north door.

Private Xavier went through the south door and found what appeared to be a corner room. The far wall was the curved hull. There was a straight wall to her left that went all the way to the hull and the wall with the door she pass through went all the way to the hull. The two walls were the same length and met at a right angle. There were two viewports on the curved wall, otherwise the walls were sparse.

The room was empty except for a red pad in the middle. Private Xavier walked over to it and thought, "up." Nothing happened. She thought "down" and descended back to the first level. She found herself in a room that was exactly like the one above, except there were no viewports on the far wall of this one. She looked around briefly and, still on the red pad, thought "up" and ascended back to where she was and returned to the middle room.

Private Whittaker went through the west door and saw three viewports directly in front of him. Immediately to his left was another wall. To his right was open. He moved to the corner and slowly peered around the edge. He saw five large canisters. Four of them had a clear blue fluid and one of them appeared to have some animal parts.

Right in front of him was Sergeant Tomiere and Private Rodriguez. Suddenly, one of the canisters shattered, clear blue fluid covering the deck.

Sergeant Tomiere and Private Rodriguez went through the north door, staying close to the wall. They kept the wall to their right. On their left were five large canisters filled with a clear blue fluid. Sergeant Tomiere kept his shoulder pressed against the way and peered around the corner. There was a Floater with its weapon pointed right at him!

Sergeant Tomiere pulled back just in time. The Floater fired at him, but missed, hitting one of the canisters instead. Blue fluid poured all over the deck. Tomiere dropped to one knee, took aim and fired his laser rifle. The Floater went down with a loud scream.

"Nice shot, Sergeant!" Private Whittaker called from behind. The Sergeant jumped.

"Don't _do_ that!" he ordered emphatically.

The group was joined by Private Xavier a moment later and took stock of what they were facing. There were three doors on the eastern wall. The middle door was on a wall that jutted out about a foot or two and appeared, at least from the outside, to house a bigger room.

"Ok, Rodriguez, you take that far door. Whittaker, Xavier you take the middle one. I'll take this one. Wait for my signal, we'll all enter at the same time."

The squad broke up as each member went to their assigned door. Sergeant Tomiere held up three fingers and silently counted down to zero. Private Rodrigez opened his door and found himself face to face with a Floater. Fortunately, she was quicker. She leveled her laser pistol and fired three shots at point blank range. The Floater let out an ear-piercing shriek and fell to the ground.

Private Whittaker was not so lucky. He rushed through the door, only to find that there was no floor. The door opened into a large, open bay and was, unfortunately on the second story. With no floor to support him, Whittaker fell and landed hard. He landed between two Floaters who seemed started and confused, but the recovered quickly. One of them shot Whittaker in the neck with its Plasma Rifle, killing him instantly.

That Floater was gunned down from above by Private Xavier. The second Floater fired back, but Xavier pulled back and the shots missed. The Floater fired three more shots through the open door, but none of them connected. Private Xavier fired three more shots. Only one of them connected, but it caused the Floater to fall over, smashing its head on the examination table. It fell into a crumpled heap without making a sound.

 _Zeta Squad – Crashed UFO, Examination Room_

"Medic!" Private Antoni Valich called out.

Private Smith came running in a moment later. She looked at Private Whittaker and then at Sergeant Lancer, who shook her head slightly.

"What happened?" Smith asked.

"He fell!" Came a shout from above.

Zeta squad all looked up and saw Private Xavier standing in a doorway that lead to an open space above them.

Sergeant Lancer looked around and saw the two Floater bodies. "Did you…?"

"Yes, Sergeant, but I think one of them may still be alive," Xavier replied from above.

Lancer and Smith briefly looked at both Floaters. Neither had any training in xenobiology, but both of them were able to tell a live alien from a dead one.

"Private Smith, pump that one full of sedatives. Privates Valich and Loquin will help you get it back to the Skyranger. Lorenzo, you're with me." Lancer ordered. Then she turned towards Private Xavier. "How did you get up there?" she asked.

"Go into the west UFO entrance, I'll meet you there," she replied and then disappeared.

Private Smith shot sedatives into the still alive Floater, then Loquin and Valich picked it up and carried it to the Skyranger.

Sergeant Lancer and Private Lorenzo went around the UFO and through the west entrance. They saw the red pad at the end of the hallway and looked at each other in confusion. Sergeant Tomiere and his team were up in the room above them.

"How do we get up, Jaques?" Lancer asked.

"Stand on the red pad and think 'up' and you will come up," he replied.

Sergeant Lancer did as instructed and was extremely surprised when she was raised up to the next level. Especially when she found herself standing on a red pad, when she hadn't seen it from below. She quickly moved to the side so Private Lorenzo could come up. To everyone's surprise, Captain Jiminez followed them up as well.

"Sir, your leg!" Lancer protested.

"I'm fine," he claimed, then he turned to Tomiere, "What've we got?"

"First to levels are clear sir. There appears to be a third level, with two access points. You saw what happened to Private Whittaker?"

The Captain nodded.

"Ok, everyone avoid the middle door. I recommend we split up into two teams."

"I agree," Sergeant Lancer said. "Captain, with your permission, Lorenzo and I will accompany you, while Tomiere and his squad take the other side."

The captain nodded. "Lead the way," he said.

Each squad went to their respective sides and went up one level. Each found themselves in a room similar to the one below. The squad in the north room had a door on the south wall, while the squad in the south room had a door on the north wall.

"Gamma-1, this is Zeta-1. Your call."

" _Three…two…one…NOW!_ " came the response.

Both teams burst through their respective doors. There were two tables with four chairs each. Three Floaters were manning various consoles on the walls. The team got the drop on them and opened fire. One of the Floaters was hit and went down with a scream. The other two returned fire. Private Lorenzo, who had killed the first floater, was hit and went down with a scream. Private Rodriguez killed one and Sergeant Tomiere killed the other one.

Sergeant Lancer went to Lorenzo, who was wounded, but alive. The rest of the team fanned out on what they assumed was the bridge of the UFO.

"Clear!" Tomiere called.

"Clear!" Jimenez called. Then he turned to Sergeant Lancer. "How is Lorenzo?"

"He took a hit in the arm. No internal bleeding as far as I can tell, but he arm might be broken."

"Ok, take him back to the Skyranger." The Captain ordered. Then he turned to Tomiere. "Take your squad and do a brief recon of the area. Let me know when it's clear."

"Tomiere nodded and left with his team."

The Captain helped Lancer get Lorenzo to the Skyranger. Once inside he fell into a chair, winced and let out a breath. Smith went over to him and checked on his leg.

"Sir, I think it's broken, if it wasn't when you fell, walking on it may have exacerbated the injury."

"S'ok, we completed the mission," he said.

" _Alpha-1, this is Gamma-1, area secure. No other hostiles present, recommend you make the call._ "

"And we secured the site," the Captain added with a half smile. Then he made the call, "Control, this is Alpha-1 site is secure, one team member KIA, two wounded. Seven enemy corpses to bring home, one live one and some more weird artifacts. Recommend sending a salvage team for the enemy craft. Out."

* * *

 **Date: 29 January, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM Base, Alps**

The Major took up his usual position, sitting on the stage in the briefing room. Seven of the soldiers from the previous mission were there. Captain Jimenez and Private Lorenzo were in Sickbay and Private Whittaker's body was in the morgue.

Sergeant Tomiere started briefing the Major. "Sir, that UFO was massive. Probably not the battleship our captive mentioned, but it was still pretty big. Three stories big. It only had a compliment of eight Floaters, but it looked like it could handle more. One of them was waiting for us when we landed, but it ignored the HWP."

"Interesting," the Major interrupted. "Is that how Captain Jimenez was injured?"

"Yessir. The HWP went down the ramp, looked around and found nothing. Then the Captain started down the ramp and was shot in the leg. The shot knocked him right off the ramp. He took out the Floater, but his leg was messed up pretty bad. Still, he insisted on carrying on the mission."

"Was he treated?"

"Yessir," Private Smith answered. "He insisted on pain killers and stimulant to keep going. I tried to protest, but he insisted."

"Thank you, Private. You did very well on this mission."

"Sir." The Private nodded.

"Major," Tomiere continued. "My squad made for the UFO while Zeta Squad scouted the area. We found there were two entrances into this UFO. My team took the one on the western side and here's where it gets interesting. The have lifts in their UFOs, but there are no controls for them. They seem to read your thoughts as to whether you want to go up or down."

"Really? That's interesting," The Major interrupted again. "Please continue."

"Well, sir, my team went up to the second level. It looked like a storage level. Huge canisters filled with a weird blue fluid. Not sure what it was for. We came under fire by one Floater which I managed to take out. We saw three doors. Two of them led to lifts. Private Rodriguez here came face to face with a Floater, but maintained her composure, got the drop on it and killed it. Unfortunately, Private Whittaker was not so lucky. Apparently his door opened to, well, nothing, sir."

"What do you mean, 'nothing'?" the major asked.

"There was no floor behind it. It opened to a large bay of some sort. I didn't see it, but Sergeant Lancer can give you more details. Anyway, he fell and landed hard between two Floaters. One of them got the drop on him and fired point blank. Whittaker didn't stand a chance, sir. Private Xavier here dispatched both of them, although I think one of them was still alive. Sir, I'll defer to Ms. Lancer, she can give more details on this portion.

The Major nodded and Sergeant Lancer started her portion, "Sir, we didn't find anything when we scouted the area, so I'll jump ahead to the UFO. My team entered through the south entrance and half the UFO was open. There was an examination area that was two stories high. That is what the door lead to. I'm not sure why the aliens put a door to nothing, sir."

"They float, what do they need floors for?" Private Xavier mentioned.

"Anyway, sir, we found Private Whittaker and two of the aliens. Lorenzo called for a medic, but there was nothing Smith could do for him. He died instantly when he was shot. Private Xavier had pretty good aim though. One of the Floaters was dead. The other appeared to still be alive, so when Private Smith got there, I had her shoot it full of sedatives. Then Valich and Loquin brought it back to the Skyranger."

"How much sedative?" The major asked.

Private Smith was a little sheepish. "All of it," she replied. "I'm no xenobiologist and I didn't want that thing coming back to life like the Sectoid did, so I used all I had."

"Well it worked, the Floater is still out. Our scientists will have a field day once it regains consciousness. Good work." The Major added.

"Sir, having established communications with Gamma Squad," Lancer continued, "The Captain, Lorenzo and I joined them on the second level. We each took one of the lifts. They led up to small rooms on the third level. Apparently both rooms lead to the bridge. There was no cover, so we bum-rushed them."

"You bum-rushed them? Not the soundest of strategies." The Major said. He kept his criticism light, but the Sergeants were both a little embarrassed.

"No sir, it's not, and Lorenzo was wounded as a result, but it worked. Lorenzo got one of the Floaters, Tomiere and Rodriguez got the other two. After that brief gun battle on the bridge, Tomeire went right and the Captain went left. Both called clear. Once the UFO was secured, Tomiere and his team ensured the site was secure and Captain Jimenez made the call."

"Thank you Michelle, and thank you Jaques, for your frank and open account of what happened. I would recommend more caution in the future, given what you all face out there, but you all have learned some very hard lessons in a very short time. Most of you were effectively rookies when this mission started. None of you are now. Each of you needs to take what you learned and use it to help the others. We fear this will be a long war and we're going to lose more of you before it's over, but hopefully, with the lessons we've learned so far and the additional protection we can give you, we'll see everyone coming back alive."

The Major took a deep breath. "Ok, now for good news. Tomiere, Lancer, you are both being promoted to Captain. Tomiere, you will lead Alpha Team and Lancer, you will lead Beta Team. Congratulations to both of you."

"What about the squads, sir?" Tomiere asked.

"We need squad leaders, yes. Both Rodriguez and Xavier showed remarkable calmness and level headedness. I'm authorized to promote both of them straight to Sergeant. Both of them will be on Beta Team. Xavier will lead Gamma Squad and Rodriguez will lead Zeta Squad. Jaques, you will have Kalto to lead Gamma Squad and Corporal Littlefield will lead Zeta Squad. Alpha Team is fully manned, but we're short a medic for Beta Team. Japan has agreed to send four soldiers and we've requested one of them be a medic. Captain…no, excuse me, Major Jimenez will draw up the roster and brief you all in a few days."

"Whoa, _Gento_ really is becoming _Jefe_ ," Tomiere observed. Michelle laughed, but rest of the team had no idea what he was talking about.

The Major, for his part, let out a chuckle. "Yes. All of you have come a long way in a short time. The nature of this war has necessitated this. We are building an additional section for living quarters and another for storage. As your teams grow, so will your responsibilities. Major Jimenez is about to find his responsibilities increasing greatly. Are there any questions or anything else to report?"

"Sir," newly promoted Captain Lancer asked, "Any word on the Plasma Pistols?"

"Yes, our scientists finally cracked the code. They are just figuring out how the clips make them operate and then we'll be able to level the playing field. They'll tackle the Plasma Rifles next and then we'll start researching the UFOs. If this last one is any indication, we are going to need to up our game in the air as well as on the ground."

 **Base Infirmary – 15 minutes later**

Major Copperfield walked into the infirmary. Three of the beds were occupied. He made his way over to the one Jimenez was on and slid a chair over. "How's it going Miguel?" he asked.

"Ok, sir. Leg appears to be busted."

"No need for that 'sir' stuff anymore," the Major replied.

Miguel looked really confused. "Am I being dropped?"

The Major laughed at the assumption. "No, quite the opposite, in fact. The Commander is promoting you to Major. You've shown a remarkable knack for tactics and keep a cool head, even if you are a bit stubborn sometimes." The major motioned to his leg.

"Yeah…doc gave me a good lecture about that. Says I probably made it worse, but this was a tough mission sir. Stubborn or not, there was an enemy trying to kills us."

"Easy, fellow, I'm not here to criticize. That's doc's job. I'm here to tell you that you have impressed the Commander and I. Also to give you some friendly advice. You will be in a position where your responsibilities will be greatly increased. You won't get as much field time, and you will need to delegate more."

"What do you mean?"

"My role has expanded since we've gone online. The base is expanding as is our roster. We're trying to bring more scientists on board to help get through some of that treasure trove y'all keep bringing back. I've sort of become the Commanders de facto deputy. He wants to make that official, so he's giving you my role. You'll be in charge of all the soldiers, team assignments, new recruits, living arrangements for the soldiers, mission assignments, etc."

"Whoa, that won't leave hardly any time for getting out in the field, sir."

"No, it won't. That's why I haven't gone on a mission. I've been in a supporting role from Day 1. You may still get out in the field some, but you're moving into the supporting role now. That's why you need to delegate more."

"Delegate?"

"Yeah, think about this…who briefed the last group of recruits, you or me?"

"I did." Miguel replied.

"Why?"

"Uhh, cause you ordered me to?"

The major laughed. "Not ordered, delegated. I could have given that brief myself, but the Commander needed me for other things, so I delegated it to you. And if I recall correctly, you delegated part of it to your team as well. You let them do portions of the brief instead of doing it all. You'll need to delegate some of the field decisions and some of the base decisions as well. Trust me, it will burn you out and you'll be wishing to face a squad of Floaters."

Major Jimenez could only nod in response. His mind was racing. He was a grunt. He was used to following orders, charging out and taking down the enemy, making things happen. How would he adjust to his new role? Supporting and delegating would be a massive change for him.

 **Base Barracks – Later that evening**

Major Jimenez entered the barracks long after evening chow. Tomiere was the first to see him. "Jefe!" he screamed.

Jimenez smiled, "You heard?"

"Of course. You're not Gento anymore…you're jefe now."

"What's 'gento'?" Corporal Xavier asked.

"I was the first of the team to be promoted to Sergeant," Jimenez began. "Came with some good natured ribbing. Given my native land and tongue, they asked how to say 'sergeant' in Spanish. I told them _Sargento_. They shortened it to 'gento' and my nick name was born."

"How about you, Captain Lancer?" Corporal Rodriguez asked.

"Wait, Captain?" Miguel asked.

"Yup, Jaques and me," Michelle answered. Then she turned to Montse, "I was the team medic. We had a wiseguy named Lazlo Dimas. A pain in the ass but good soldier. He claimed to have a thing for me, but I think he just liked that I was a woman. Anyway, we were on the Skyranger and he shouted over, 'hey nurse! I think I need a full exam!' and so the team started calling me 'hey nurse' and eventually just 'nurse.' It stuck and that's my nickname."

"What happened to him?"

The room went silent. Michelle took a moment before answering. "He was shot on our third mission. Just before getting his armor, too. He was a pain in the ass and a braggart, but he turned out to be a good soldier.

Corporal Valich tried to lighten the mood. "Captain Tomiere, why don't you have a nick name?"

"I'm too badass."

"Damn, Jaques, you _are_ becoming an American!" Michelle exclaimed.

"Bite your tongue, _nurse_."

"How about _gento_?" Miguel asked. "I couldn't think of a better soldier to pass the torch to. You were there with us from the beginning."

For all their bluster, Tomiere was actually touched. "I'll be honored."

There was a short moment of reverence that was shattered by Private White. "We should all get nicknames," he said.

"Only if you're a sergeant," Rodriguez quipped.

"What? Why?" White complained.

"You haven't even been on a mission, yet Tom. Let's see how you handle yourself, and then we'll all come back and judge you."

"Oh, I got one for you, Montse. Icequeen." Xavier said with a laugh. "I saw you take down that Floater. You didn't even flinch. Just fired point black. Bam! Dead Floater."

"That make you a huntress the way you took down those two, Miriam?" Rodriguez replied with a twinkle in her eye.

Brief moments of somber reflection, interrupted by bluster and banter. That was typical of how the soldiers of XCOM blew off steam when off mission.

* * *

 **Date: 30 January, 1999  
** **Location: United Nations, Office of XCOM Funding, Geneva**

The council of funding nations was gathered to discuss the results of the first month of the XCOM Project. The XCOM Commander was on a conference line with them to show the accomplishments and, of course, request more funding.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," The Commander began, "We have detected and shot down a total of four UFOs. We have successfully deployed handheld laser weapons, including both pistols and rifles. We have analysed the alien alloys that their UFOs are made from and have successfully created Personal Armor for our troops. This has reduced the casualty rate dramatically. Soldiers who would have been killed instantly survived with minor to medium injuries."

"Still, Commander," The representative from Brazil cut in, "You have lost a total of four soldiers, at least one per mission, no?"

"Yes, Ambassador, but I would like to point out that three of those losses were before the Armor was deployed and that three of our soldiers survived as a direct result of the Armor."

"And one died because you could not produce it fast enough. What are you doing to rectify this?" The Brazilian ambassador was a little harsh, but it was a Brazilian soldier that died as a result of his armor not being ready in time.

"Honorable Ambassador, we have already begun construction of additional living quarters. This will allows us to not only expand our soldier roster, but hire more engineers. This will ensure a maximization of our workshop space and quicker deployment of weapons, armor and we hope new aircraft to combat the UFOs."

"New Aircraft? Are the interceptors insufficient?" The Japanese Ambassador asked.

"The Interceptor aircraft have performed phenomenally, Ambassador. We have no reason to believe they will fail us in the future. That being said, the live alien we, umm, interviewed, claimed to have bigger and stronger UFOs. We are researching the various systems of the captured crafts in an attempt to reverse engineer them, so that we would be ready should such a threat emerge."

The Japanese Ambassador kept his expression neutral, but acknowledged the Commander's response.

"Tell us more about these laser weapons," The American Ambassador, changed the subject.

"Sir, they are still no match for the alien's plasma weaponry, but they are more powerful and more accurate than even our best ballistic weapons. I will have our scientists forward a complete report to the council."

"Very well, thank you Commander. Your brief has been very informative. Give what we are up against, you and your team have performed admirably. We will reach out and let you know of our decision by tomorrow. Stay strong."

"Thank Ambassador. Ladies and Gentlemen, Good day."

The Commander disconnected call and the council got down to business, how more they would fund the project for the next month. Brazil was still smarting over the loss of their soldier, but agreed to keep the funding level even. Russia and Italy also kept the funding level even. The rest of the countries agreed to increase the amount of funding, except Australia.

"The Commonwealth of Australis is most displeased with the lack of assistance provided by this project. Alien activity has increased across the continent. Our people are terrified and we have seen zero response from the team or the project."

The American ambassador was taken aback. "We started this project with limited resources, and agreed in the beginning that the first base should cover the most countries."

"Yes, we did, however we must now insist that something be done to stem the tide or rising activity in our country, or we will have no choice but to continue reducing our contribution each month, pulling out all together if necessary."

"We could establish a second base," The Chinese Ambassador stated. "If we place it in Indonesia, it could provide coverage for Australia, India, China, Japan and the Pacific Islands."

"The Commonwealth of Australia offers to host such a base. If placed strategically, it could still provide adequate coverage." The Australian Ambassador replied.

"I motion that we set up a site survey in Indonesia and in Australia to determine the location of the second base," The Japanese Ambassador stated.

"I second," concurred the Indian Ambassador.

"All in favor?" The American Ambassador asked?

The decision was unanimous. A first for the council. They would deliver the directive when they delivered their funding report to XCOM.

* * *

 **Date: 1 February, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM Base, Alps**

Colonel Copperfield and Major Jimenez both sat in the Commander's Office. The three of them were around a small round table that the Commander used as a conference table. The Commander was lamenting the directive that had come along with the funding.

"Most of the council agreed to increase their funding, but it still does not cover the expansion we were forced to make in the first month. And _now_ , they want us to start construction on a brand new base! Our stores are overflowing, we're short on personnel and now they want a new construction project?"

"Sir, if I may," Major Jimenez began. The commander nodded and he made his proposal. "What if we can, how do you say? Kill two birds with one rock?"

For all his stress, the Commander chuckled at that. "With one stone, yes, how?"

"What if we were to sell some of our stores to the funding nations? We have items we have no use for, examination rooms, damaged UFO parts, alien bodies, plus some artifacts we have not even identified yet. We could even manufacture some laser weapons and sell them."

"You want to turn us into black-market dealers?" The Commander was incredulous.

"Sir, it won't be a worldwide sale, just to the funding nations. The Americans are already extremely interested in our laser weapons. How long until they demand we just hand some over? We might as well set a price while we can. Plus, how much our world's technology came about from the competition between American and Soviet space programs? We could spawn a new technological revolution by selling some of the alien artifacts."

The Colonel agreed with the Major, much to the Commander's surprise. He thought about it for a moment, looked as if he was about to turn the idea down, but finally nodded in agreement. "What is our shop working on now?"

"They are finishing up the last of the Personal Armors so we have a few spare sets." The Colonel replied.

"Very well, instruct them to manufacture ten more laser rifles next and put out some unofficial feelers with the funding nations and see what level of interest there is."

By doing so, the Commander ensured that XCOM would be fully funded, no matter what the council decided each month.

* * *

 **Date: 4 February, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM Base, Alps**

Major Jimenez had gathered all his soldiers in the Armory. There were twenty-four total, including him. He still walked with a cane, the doctor insisted, but the other two wounded soldiers were cleared for duty.

The Major held up a weapon and began his lecture. "Ladies and Gentlemen, and Kalto," he said to a few laughs, "I give you the Alien's Plasma Pistol. It is small, lightweight yet more powerful than our M-18 Rifles. This piece of technology is more powerful, and more accurate, than the best infantry weapon mankind created. It is more powerful than the Laser Pistol our scientists created, and, according to them, almost as powerful, but more accurate than our own Laser Rifles. Observe."

Major Jimenez turned towards a target that was tacked on a wooden backstop and fired. The target and backstop were obliterated, wooden splinters flying everywhere.

"If you think that is destructive, imagine what it will do to you…or them. I personally witnessed a plasma bolt cut through Kevlar Armor like it was nothing. That was what spurred our scientists to focus their efforts on the alien alloys and resulting Personal Armor that we all now wear in the field. Each of you will be checked out on the Plasma Pistol and then we'll start carrying them on our next mission."

"Sir, how did you fire it? I don't see any trigger." Corporal Valish observed.

"It's biometric." The major pointed to three glowing circles on the handle. "These detect the heat and pulse from your fingers, then you simply squeeze slightly to fire. Squeeze and hold for multiple shots." To demonstrate, the major held the Plasma Pistol, with his fingers extended. He pointed it at another target, wrapped his fingers around the handle and squeezed slightly, firing off a shot that obliterated another wooded target.

 **Alien Containment Facility – Later That Day**

A small table and three chairs were placed in front of the lone occupied containment chamber. Three scientists sat in the chairs, looking intently at the Floater, wondering how to communicate with it.

"Do you speak English?" One of the scientists asked.

The Floater stared blankly at them.

"How are we going to communicate with it?"

The lead scientists stood up and approached the canister. The Floater flinched, slightly.

"We won't harm you," the scientist said. "We can help you."

"No, nobody can help me. I am abandoned. I am alone." The Floater spoke in a deep, guttural voice.

"You are not alone. We are here. We can help. Are you hurt?"

"I sustained a concussion, and my grav unit is damaged."

"A concussion? Are you a doctor of some sort?"

"I am a medic in the third consort of the fourth legion." The Floater replied.

"How many legions are there?"

"I do not have access to such information. It is outside my caste."

"Your caste?"

"Yes, each race is its own caste. Those you call 'sectoids' are scouts and navigators. We are medics and scientists, though we also navigate. The mutons are the shock troops of the Ethereal Ones. They do the military planning and organizing."

"Wait, what are these 'mutons'?" the scientist asked.

"Just as I said. They are the shock troops of the Ethereal Ones. Once we determine the suitability of your planet for sustenance, they will come and make the transition."

Before it could continue, the Floater let out a piercing shriek, grabbed its head and fell over. It laid motionless on the floor of its cell.

"Damnit! Not again!" The lead scientist screamed. We need to talk to the Commander, ASAP.

* * *

 **Date: 6 February, 1999  
** **Location: 30 Miles NE of Mueller Ranges, Australia**

The Chinook helicopter was flying low. Instead of troops, it was carrying survey equipment and geologists. They were scouting for a possible location of the new XCOM base, although they were told the survey was for backup location of the Svalbard Seed Vault. The pilots, backups for the XCOM project, were aware of their real mission however.

The plan was to use a mountain, like the first base in Europe. The region had no shortage, but they needed to ensure they weren't going to be digging through hard rock, like granite.

They were five minutes out from the peak they were investigating when one of the pilots noticed something unusual. He changed course to investigate.

" _Outback-1, this is control, you are off course, is there an emergency?_ "

"Control, Outback-1, negative. We've discovered an unidentified object on the ground, moving to investigate, over?"

" _Roger, your orders are to stay on mission, over?_ "

"Roger, control, standby…"

"…Control, Outback-1, it appears to be a landed UFO. It's roughly sixty feet long, and looks almost like a fat '8.' Request permission to investigate further, over?"

Before the Chinook could get a response, the UFO took off, moved to the northeast and quickly climbed out of the atmosphere.

"Control, Outback-1, belay my last. UFO has left the area. I say again. UFO has left the area. I see activity on the ground, moving to investigate, out."

The Chinook landed nearby, but the observed activity had ceased. The co-pilot and one of the loadmasters left the aircraft and searched the area. They found a crevice between two large rocks, which appeared to lead to a small cave. Once the entered, the rock turned to metal, and suddenly, they found themselves in a room with a green glowing floor.

Before they had a chance to make any real observations, a Sectoid appeared in front of them. They both took off running, with the Sectoid following close behind. As the aircrew exited the cave, the co-pilot raised his hand up in the air and made a twirling motion with his finger. The pilot immediately spun up the Chinook.

As soon as the co-pilot and loadmaster were onboard, the pilot took off. The co-pilot got on the radio, "Control, this is Outback-1, mark our location. I say again. Mark our location. We have identified what appears to be an Alien Base, over?"

" _This is control, roger. Your position is marked, evacuate the area immediately, we'll relay to higher. Out._ "

The Chinook did not get very far, a few blasts from a plasma weapon destroyed one of the engines. The Chinook crashed, killing all onboard.

* * *

 **Author's note** : The original XCOM was pretty brutal, although now that they have Personal Armor, we may see less death and more wounds. No promises for base defense or base assault missions (should they occur). Next chapter will deal with some of the politics behind the project, so it may not be as exciting.

EDIT: I combined this with a short chapter to explore some of the things that were a mystery to me in the original XCOM. What caused the countries to decide about funding? Also, who were these mysterious "XCOM Agents" who discovered Alien Bases? The Next Chapter will involve the Alien Base assault and the Alien's reaction...

Special thanks to PRAKNASTY for your review and comments!

Also, I'd like to periodically post a roster of the soldiers, but I'm not sure how to make the formatting work. If someone could message me and let me know, I'd appreciate it...thanks!


	4. Chapter 4 - CHANGE OF COMMAND

**Date: 6 February, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM Base, Alps**

The Commander was in his office talking to the Colonel and the Major about the most recent 'interview' with an alien captive. Like the first one, this one died suddenly and painfully in the middle of questioning.

"Somehow it must be monitored. We know the lifts operate on a psychic level, can the aliens use some sort of psychic communication? We need more information, damnit!"

"Sir, with respect," the Colonel cut in, "I think the bigger issues are 1) how do they know what we call their races and 2) what are these 'mutons' the Floater mentioned?"

Before the Commander could respond, he received and alert from the communications team, "Sir, urgent communique from the Australian Ambassador."

"Put him through."

" _Commander, thank you for your prompt response. We have an urgent matter which I hope you will make a priority_."

"What is it Amabassador?"

" _Some of our agents have located and Alien Base on Australian soil._ "

"Wait. What? Are you sure?"

" _I know it sounds incredible, but it is true. We must eliminate this foothold post haste._ "

"I agree 100%, Ambassador. I'll send my best men down there straight away."

" _Thank you, Commander._ "

The line went dead and the Commander turned to the Major, "Send the most experienced soldiers," he ordered.

"Sir, that includes me," the Major responded.

"And me," The Colonel agreed. "I have not fought these Aliens yet, but I have vital experience and I can't expect the recruits to keep following me if I've never been in the field."

"No and no. Both of you are vital to this base now. I can't risk losing either of you. Colonel, you knew what you were doing when you signed up and Major, I'm sorry, but you're not a field agent anymore."

"Sir, you heard the Ambassador. We know nothing of this base, how many aliens there are, how they are armed. We have no idea what we'll face or what we'll find. I need to go, and so do all of your experienced soldiers." The Major insisted.

The Commander was about to argue back, then then let out a resigned sigh, "We've only been operating a short time, but I think I know you both well enough to realize that if I ordered you to stay behind, you'd both sooner face a court martial than follow that order. Ok, but both of you better come back alive."

"Yessir!" they said in unison.

Only one of them would follow that order.

 **Briefing room – 20 minutes later**

Major Jimenez got right to the point. "Ok, ladies and gentlemen, we have just received word of an Alien Base in Australia. We know very little about the base, other than its location."

"What kind of Aliens?"

"Unknown. The size of the base is unknown, the contingent of aliens is unknown. All we know is its location. We cannot let this stand, people. The aliens are not just harassing our people anymore. They have formally invaded this planet. We must send them a clear message. We will enter the base, find the control center and destroy it, eliminated any and all resistance along the way. Understood?"

All the soldiers nodded in understanding.

"Ok, we are leaving the HWP behind in favor of bringing an extra squad. Here are the assignments. Once I read your name go to the armory, suit up and grab your gear. Alpha Squad. Tomiere, lead. Lancer, medic. Littlefield and Valich you're with them. Beta Squad. Katlo, lead. Smith medic. Boullard and Xavier you're with them. Gamma Squad. Rodriguez, lead. Tanaka, medic. Loquin and Lorenzo, you're with them. Move!"

"Sir, there are two more slots, no? Who is going?"

"The Colonel and I are going on this mission. The rest of you keep a beer on ice for our return."

* * *

 **Date: 7 February, 1999  
** **Location: Alien Base, Australia**

The Skyranger landed close to the downed Chinook. The area was deserted. No sign of humans or aliens.

"Ok, Major," the Colonel said, "What's your recommendation?"

"Let's check the Chinook, sir. Maybe there is something there that could help us. Alpha, Beta Squads, set a perimeter. Gamma Squad come with us."

The small team made their way to the wreckage. They were surprised to find the co-pilot was still alive, albeit barely.

"Shouldn't…come…dangerous." was all he could get out.

The Colonel was a little embarrassed, but decided to go with the truth. "We're not here to rescue you. You were all presumed dead. We're here to take out that alien base."

"X…COM?"

The Colonel nodded.

"base…base under…no…through….crevice…" the co-pilot struggled to raise his arm and pointed in the direction of the crevice that led to the cave that led to the base.

"Tanaka, give the man some pain killers."

" _Hai_ , Jimini-san."

"We'll bring you back with us after we've eliminated the base," Jimenez said to the co-pilot.

The co-pilot nodded weakly and lost consciousness.

It took some careful searching, but they finally found the crevice between two large rocks, that the co-pilot mentioned. That crevice lead to a small cave. The team entered by squad. The rock turned to metal, and suddenly, they found themselves in a room with a green glowing floor. In the corner were four red pads.

"Looks like that is our way in," Major Jimenez observed. Alpha Squad. You go down and set a perimeter. Beta Squad scout the immediate area. Gamma Squad, you'll expand the search. We're looking for the control center of the base. Eliminate any and all resistance."

Alpha squad descended into the base and found themselves in a square room, with large openings in the north, east and south walls. They took position covering each opening. When the entire team was down, Alpha Squad went through the north opening, Beta the east and Gamma the south. The Colonel went with Beta Squad and the Major went with Gamma Squad.

Alpha Squad entered a small room with a large alien plant of some sort in the middle. The walls and floor were covered with some sort of vine or fungus. The light level was low, so it was hard to make out exactly what it was. The room itself was clear of hostiles, so they went through the only other opening leading out, which was on the east wall.

That led to a large bay of some sort. Containers and canisters strewn throughout with a two story structure in the middle of the bay. Beta squad was directly to the south of them, having entered through their assigned opening. This bay was four times as large as the initial room and at least two stories high, maybe three.

Suddenly, Alpha Squad came under fire. They took cover behind some of the containers and looked for their assailant. The plasma fire came from a white disc, floating about waist height on the other side of the bay. Each member of both squads took aim with their Plasma Pistols and fired a volley towards the disc. Enough of shots connected. The disc sparked, fell to the ground and exploded, destroying some of the nearby containers.

"What the hell was that?" Corporal Littlefeild asked.

"Not sure corporal. This is the first we've seen of it. Our scientists will figure it out later. For now, stay focused on the mission." Tomiere said.

"Yessir." Came the reply.

"It took a lot of fire to bring it down," the Colonel observed. "Good job, Boullard. We'll all need to be careful going forward."

"Beta Squad, sweep the southside of this bay. We'll sweep the northside."

"Roger sir." Kalto responded.

On the far west wall were two openings, which is where both teams entered. There were also two openings in the far east wall. The same on the far south wall. Beta Squad took the southern opening on the far east wall, while Alpha Squad too the northern one.

 _Gamma Squad, Alien base – Southwest Corner_

"Sir this place is eerily quiet." Sergeant Rodriguez observed.

The squad continued south through three more rooms, all were roughly the same size and all of them had alien machinery of some sort. In the southern most room, they only entrances were the one they entered through and one more on the east wall. So far, they had not encountered any aliens.

"Quiet, Rodriguez, you'll jinx us."

"Superstitious, Major?"

The reply came in the form of a Plasma bolt through the north opening that struck her in the arm. The Squad took cover. Corporal Loquin found the alien and returned fire, killing it.

"Montse, how are you?"

"I feel like I've been kicked in the arm." The armor was, in fact, dented and scorched, but it held. Private Tanaka checked her arm and gave her a painkiller. She insisted she was ok to continue.

They moved to the next room to the east, Major Jimenez and Sergeant Montse in front, followed by Corporal Lorenzo and Private Tanaka, with Corporal Loquin taking up the rear. Suddenly, Corporal Lorenzo stopped.

"Hey. Tony, you ok?" Loquin asked.

Corporal Lorenzo didn't respond. His eyes glassed over and his stare became distant. Then he raised his pistol and shot Major Jimenez and Sergeant Rodriguez. Before he could do anything else, Loquin pistol whipped him from behind.

"My leg? Really? Son of a bitch!" The Major shouted.

"Jimini-san, you sit, please," Tanaka instructed.

The major did as he was told and let the medic tend to his leg. It was the same leg that was wounded previously and had barely healed before this mission.

"Tanaka, DOWN!" The Major shouted. Tanaka instantly went flat. Major Jimenez fired three shots from his pistol, taking out a Sectoid that had just come in to view.

"Thank you, Jimini-san. Now I fix your leg, yes?"

"Yes, but quickly, and then tend to Montse."

Tanaka fixed them both up as best he could with his Medkit and they regrouped.

"Sir, what do we do about Lorenzo?" Montse asked.

"Pump him full of sedatives and bring him back to the green room." The Major responded.

 _Beta Squad, Alien Base – Central_

Beta Squad found themselves in what they first thought was a hallway, but when they followed it around, they realized that they were in a room that was as big as the bay, but with another large room in the middle, with the hallway going around the perimeter. Each outer wall had two large openings in it but they only found one door going in to the room within the room.

After circling the perimeter, they found themselves very close to the first room they started in. In the western hallway, there were two large openings on the west wall, and one small door on the east wall.

"This could be the command center." The Colonel said.

"You'd think it would be more guarded," Kalto observed. "Ok, team, line up, by the numbers," he ordered.

Kalto took station by the door, the Colonel behind him and the rest of the team lined up behind the Colonel. Kalto opened the door and saw a hallway that appeared to go about halfway into the room, with a red pad at the end of it.

"Colonel, if you please, sir."

The Colonel nodded.

"Xavier, wait until you see us go up, the follow with the rest of the team."

Sergeant Kalto and the Colonel entered the room and made their way to the red pad. Sergeant Xavier watched from the doorway. Suddenly a silvery-white football looking object came down the lift. Kalto barely had time to register it before it exploded.

"Oh! Shit!" Miriam Xavier shouted as she barely turned away from the door in time. Smoke, metal, flames and debri came shooting out the doorway. She waited for it all to settle before daring to peek back. She was astounded by the destruction.

The lift and the ceiling were still intact, but many of the floor panels and wall panels were gone, revealing the dirt and rock behind them. Sergeant Kalto and the Colonel were nowhere to be found, not even a trace of their bodies or their armor remained.

"What…what are we gonna do? They're…they're gone. Gone!" Smith cried.

"Pull yourself together, damnit! We're gunna find the bug-eyed bastard that did this and fill him full of plasma. Now, come on!"

"Yes, Sergeant. Sorry. I'm ready."

Sergeant Xavier went up the lift and stood face to face with the Sectoid responsible. The Sectoid was holding a launcher of some sort, that was nearly as big as it was, if not bigger. Xavier got the drop on him and fired three shots right in his face. She stood over the crumpled body and fired three more shots for good measure.

Private Lisa Boullard gently tapped her on the shoulder. "I think it's dead." She said.

"And every single one of those bug-eyed bastards will suffer the same fate."

The determination behind that statement was just as inspiring as it was chilling.

"Ok, Lisa, north door, Felicity, south door. Move." Xavier ordered.

Corporal Smith entered through the door and ducked a plasma bolt. She fired back, but missed. She took cover behind some alien machinery and ducked down as three more bolts flew overhead. She took careful aim and fired a single shot from her Plasma Pistol. It hit the Sectoid, who went down with a scream.

"South room clear!" she called. The panic she felt earlier had vanished.

"North room clear!" she heard. She met her two remaining Squadmates in the center.

"All rooms clear. Let's move." Xavier ordered.

 _Alpha Squad, Alien base – Northeast Corner_

Alpha Squad entered another large room. This one had the same vine or fungus type coating the walls and the floors. There was a large circular room in the center. They went around the perimeter and found a large door on the northern portion of the circular wall. They stood, two on each side of the door, and Tomiere opened it.

A large plasma bolt came out, hitting and scorching the alien plant life on the outer wall.

"Shit, it's another one of those discs!" Tomiere called out. He fired three shots. Two connected, but the disc still fired back. Tomiere turned ducked down and the shot missed. Corporal Littlefield was behind him. She fired off three shots, hitting the disc. Like the other one, it shot sparks out the center, fell to the ground and exploded. The explosion killed a Sectoid that was behind it and flew a hole in the wall next to it.

"Ok, let's move." Tomiere ordered.

"Sir! Wait!" Captain Lancer fired off three shots from her Plasma Pistol, hitting a Sectoid that had some around the bend.

"Thanks Michelle…I should've been more careful.

The Squad went through the hole in the inner wall and found themselves in a small round room, with a pink floor. In the center of the room were nine red pads. Tomiere entered first, followed by Corporal Valich. Littlefield was behind them, when suddenly she froze. Then, without warning, she shot both Tomiere and Valich in the back.

Captain Lancer tackled her from behind, and sedated her.

"What the hell?" The blast knocked Tomiere on his face. He pushed himself up on his hands and knees and took a deep breath. Valich? Lancer?

"I think I'm ok, sir, but I need to catch my breath." Valich responded.

"Littlefield just opened fire with no warning. I sedated her, for now," Lancer said.

"This MUST be the control room." Tomiere said. Then he saw a figure pass by on the second level.

"We can't go up there sir, they'll mow us down." Lancer said.

Tomiere nodded and then pulled out a grenade. He motioned for the other two to do the same. He counted down silently and then pulled the pin and threw. The other two mirrored his movement. They heard three explosions and about half a dozen secondaries. When the secondaries stopped, Tomiere got up to head to the lift, but Lancer stopped him. "Nurse's orders," she said. "I'll go."

Captain Lancer went to the lift and went up to the second level. It was filled with smoke, but she could make out three bodies, and a bunch of destroyed equipment. She went back down and made her report. "That is definitely the control center. It has to be."

"Control, this is Alpha-1."

No response.

"Control, this is Alpha-1, come in."

No response.

"The hell?"

 _Beta Squad, Alien Base – Insertion point_

What was left of Beta Squad made their way back to the insertion point. Gamma Squad was already there and they noticed Corporal Lorenzo tied up and Major Jimenez sitting in the corner, the leg portion of his armor missing.

"Sir?" Xavier asked.

"I'm not sure. We were fighting Sectiods, when Lorenzo just opened fire on us. Piere pistol whipped him and we brought him back here. My leg is messed up pretty bad. He hit the same one that was still healing. Montse is wounded, but she'll be ok. How's your squad faring?"

"Not good. There was a massive explosion. Kalto and The Colonel are nowhere to be found. The Sectoid responsible was holding this." Xavier handed over the launcher she found.

"Damn, this thing fires something that causes that much damage? This is bad. The Colonel and Kalto are missing? How?"

"Sir, they were caught in that explosion. There is no way they survived, but their remains…well…there are no remains…"

"Damn…DAMN!" Jimenez shouted, then took a deep breath.

"Alpha Squad, this is…Jefe, over."

" _Jefe! I'm trying to reach control. No response_."

"I heard. You won't get one. What's your status?"

" _We just took out the control center, but it seems Littlefield tried to prevent us. She shot Valich and I in the back. Lancer has sedated her for now._ "

"Return to the insertion point for further instructions. Out."

The team was back at the insertion point a few minutes later. Major Jimenez took stock of where they were at. Two soldiers missing and four of them wounded…plus two more out of commission.

"Ok, _Nurse_ , you take the remains of Alpha and Gamma squad. _Huntress_ , you take the remains of Beta squad. Tanaka, leave your medkit and go with Captain Lancer. Both teams work together to and ensure that this base is secure. We don't want any surprises for the salvage team."

"Yessir!" The Squad leaders said in unison. They formed up their ragtag squads and headed out.

"What do we do with these two?" Tomiere asked.

"We take them back and put them in the alien containment units. Then we figure out why the attacked their own team members." Jimenez responded.

The two ragtag squads returned about ten minutes later. Captain Lancer made her report, "Sir, base is clear of hostiles. Three more Sectoids were neutralized. One by Tanaka, One by Boullard and one by Smith."

"How many total is that? I'm shot up with too many drugs to count," Jimenez replied.

"From all the reports of contact. I would count twelve Sectoids and two of those white disc nightmares." Lancer responded.

"Ok, help me up. Let's head back to the Skryanger. Miriam, you and Loquin check on that pilot, see if we can bring him back with us and get him help."

"Yessir," Sergeant Xavier replied.

The Major struggled to his feet. "The rest of you let's move out."

Back at the Skyranger, all the squads regrouped. The co-pilot they found earlier did not survive. The Major made his report.

"Control, this is Alpha-1. Alien Base neutralized. Control center destroyed. Fourteen total aliens killed. Four friendlies wounded, two missing and two are…incapacitated. Chinook is near our position, no survivors. Recommend sending large salvage team, to recover items from the base, and local team to recover helicopter and crew, over."

" _This is control, teams enroute, leave one squad to keep site secure, bring the wounded home, over._ "

"This is Alpha-1, roger out." Jimenez then turned to Captain Lancer. You, Loquin, Xavier and Boullard stay behind and keep the site secure. Take our clips and grenades and stand by until salvage team arrives."

"Yessir." Lancer and her new squad gathered up their supplies and took station near the entrance to the base, waiting for the salvage team. The Skyranger took off and left for home.

* * *

 **Date: 9 February, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM Base, Alps**

Major Jimenez and Captain Lancer were in the Commander's Office. Jimenez had a brace on his leg and carried a cane. That was the only way the doctor let him out of sickbay.

"Colonel Copperfield. What happened?" The commander stated. It was more an indirect command than a question.

"Sir, you saw the weapon we brought back. I'm not sure how those little bastards can carry such a think let alone fire it, but the explosion it caused was fierce. We brought back two of those…whatever they are that get launched…and the launcher itself. It wiped out both John and the Colonel."

The Commander shook his head. "I shouldn't have let him go. The loss of the Colonel is going to have a huge impact on our operations. Frankly, I shouldn't have let you go either. Doc says that leg of yours may keep you out of the field for good."

Jimenez winced. He knew his leg wasn't up to par before the mission and now it might lead to a permanent disability.

"Am I going to be dropped, sir?"

"Dropped? Hell, you are now the most experienced soldier on this base. You too, Michelle. No, I'm keeping you right here. You're off the roster, probably permanently, but I am promoting you to Colonel. You'll take over Copperfield's duties. Lancer, I'm making you Major. You'll handle what the Colonel doesn't. I'm not restricting you from missions, but you need to be careful when you're out there."

"Yessir. Thank you, sir."

"Now, what about the rest of the team?"

"Sir, we still have enough for two complete teams. We'll need a captain to replace Michelle and a Sergeant for each squad." Jimenez said.

"Suggestions?"

Michelle and Miguel looked at each other. Miguel responded. "Sir, Miriam Xavier should be promoted to Captain. She can get a little intense, but she keeps cool under pressure and the troops follow her lead."

"Ok, make it so. Who do you recommend for Sergeants?"

"Well sir, Loquin and Boullard for sure, but..."

"Oh no, not her." The Commander said. Both Lorenzo and Littlefield had been cleared. Brain scans had shown that they were under some sort of alien control, which is why they attacked their own team members, but there was still some fear about putting them back in the field, let alone promoting one of them to lead a squad.

"Sir, if the medical reports are correct, what happened to Lori could have happened to anyone. Same with Tony. It just so happened that each of them were in the prime position for the Aliens to take control of their minds."

"Ok, hold off for now, let's see how the troops react and we'll go from there." The commander replied. He let out a sigh, "This was a win for us…especially with the council, but it was a costly one. Rodriguez will be released from medical today. Back on the roster tomorrow. Tomiere and Valich will be there a few more days. Ms. Littlefield did a number on them."

"Sir, just give her a chance. She is itching to get back at them for what they did to her." Jimenez replied.

"I'll take it under advisement, Colonel."

Colonel Jimenez was about to press his case when the alarms went off.

 **Radar Center – 15 minutes later**

The Alert-5 had already been launched and the Alert-15 manned and ready when the Colonel got to the radar center. "What've we got?" he asked.

"Sir, small bogey, designated UFO-5, coming in fast from the north. Interceptor-1 coming into range shortly." The tech reported.

" _Control, Interceptor-1, I'm in weapons range, but still no visual. I have it on radar…closing now._ "

The pilot was well inside Stingray range before he got a visual.

" _Control, this one is really small. Looks like a single pilot craft. Going hot on Stingray…shit!_ "

The Colonel watched the display and saw the UFO shoot away from the Interceptor at an incredible speed.

" _Sorry, Control, that thing took off fast. I've lost it. Nothing on radar, requesting instructions, over._ "

The radar tech shook his head. "I'm sorry, sir, we've lost it."

"Interceptor-1, Control, go to these coordinates and sweep the area."

The Interceptor was on station a few minutes later, and did a few sweeps with his radar, but found nothing. The Colonel ordered it back to base.

 **Radar Center – 3 hours later**

The techs were alert and noticed the incoming UFO right away. Like the last one, this one was coming from the north and seemed to be heading to the base. They tagged it UFO-6 and launched the Alert-5.

The UFO blew right past the interceptor and moved in a figure eight motion near where the base was. The Interceptor approached, " _Control, Interceptor-1, this is a scout. Going hot on Avalanche…Fox-1!_ "

The UFO avoid the missile, but instead of firing back, it took off back to the north, outpacing the XCOM Interceptor.

" _I lost visual,_ " Interceptor-1 reported.

"Track lost, return to base." Came the ordered reply.

* * *

 **Date: 9 February, 1999  
** **Location: Muton Battleship, Sol System**

The Muton Leader stood before his display on the bridge of the Battleship. "Report," he ordered.

The face on his display belonged to a Sectoid Navigator, "We have determined with 85% confidence factor that this is the location of the terran resistance."

"Why is your confidence factor only 85%? This is unacceptable!" The Muton leader raged.

"The terrans sent on of their craft to intercept us. Reporting their location was higher priority than increasing confidence factor," The Sectoid replied in a droning voice.

The Muton leader hated to admit it, but getting the location of the main base of the terran resistance was a priority. He would not let it show, however. "Bah! We will cover your incompetence, but it will cost us time and we'll lose the element of surprise. You're just like these terrans. They are no match for our strength."

The Sectoid Navigator merely bowed his head in reply and then turned off his display.

The Muton hated the Sectoid race, but both of their races served the Ethereal Ones, so he had no choice but to deal with them. Still, he reveled at the chance to show them up at their own game. He would show them up good this time. He hardly considered a minor victory over an inferior foe admirable, but it was a priority for the Ethereal Ones and he knew he would be rewarded accordingly.

* * *

 **Date: 10 February, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM Base, Alps**

Major Lancer had the entire roster of soldiers gathered in the Armory, except the two who were still in sick bay. She held up a Plasma Rifle, "This is the Alien's Plasma Rifle. We do not have enough for a full team yet, but now that our scientists have cracked the code, we can probably manufacture a few in house. Until then, we'll keep collecting them from the aliens whenever they use them. This is currently the most powerful weapon we possess."

"Excuse me, Major, but what about that launcher you all recovered from the Alien Base?" Private Waser asked.

"We still don't know what it is. The Colonel and the Commander decided to shift the research focus to the UFOs themselves, to see if we can reverse engineer them and come up with some better interceptor craft."

"Major, exactly how many of those do we have?" Corporal Lorenzo asked.

"We have six. We also have four Laser Rifles. However, we have more than enough Plasma Pistols for the rest of you. As you've seen those work well against the aliens. Any further questions?"

There were none.

"Ok, allow me to demonstrate: This Plasma Rifle operates on a principle similar to the Plasma Pistol. Big difference is that there are two grips, a forward and a rear. You must have your hands on both grips in order to fire the weapon, so no John Wayne action."

That elicited a few chuckles. Then the Major physically demonstrated what she lectured about. She held the weapon one handed, and it would not fire. Then, she placed a hand on the forward grip and a powerful green bolt of plasma fired from the weapon. That bolt destroyed a concrete block set up at the other end of the armory.

"As you can see, it is much more powerful than the Plasma Pistol. Our engineers will manufacture more, but until then, we'll have to make do with what we can recover from the downed UFOs."

With the lecture and the demonstration over, the soldiers all got checked out on their new weapon.

 **XCOM Base Radar Center – 3 Hours Later**

The tech was extremely alert at his post, but he was still surprised by the target that suddenly appeared his screen.

"Sir!" He called out. "UFO detected. This one is extremely large and appears to be headed right for us!"

The watch over went over to the display to take a look. "Tag it UFO-7 and launch both the Alert-5 and Alert-15." He ordered, calmly.

Both Interceptors were in the air in less than ten minutes.

" _Control, Interceptor-1. This thing is beyond massive. It dwarfs everything else we've seen._ "

"This is Control, roger. Close to Avalanche range. You have weapons free."

Interceptor-2 was in range first. " _Control, Interceptor-2, in range, I have tone. Fox-1!_ "

" _Control, Interceptor-1, in range, I have tone-_ "

His transmission was cut off, when a large plasma bolt was fired from the UFO, striking Interceptor-1, destroying it immediately. Tiny pieces rained down on the earth.

"Interceptor-2, Control, Abort! Abort!"

Interceptor-2 backed off just in the nick of time. The UFO fired on it, but it was safely out of range.

"Interceptor-2, return to base immediately."

The watch officer watched at the Interceptor returned to base safely and the very large UFO followed it back, landing near the base. He flipped a switch, "All stations, control, we have in coming. All non-essential personnel make your way to the north hangar."

 **XCOM Base Medical Bay – 5 Minutes Later**

Corporal Valich heard the announcement and got up out of his bed. He was still in pain, but if the base was under attack, he was going to defend it.

The doctor, of course, stopped him. "Corporal, you are in no shape for fighting, you must evacuate."

"Sorry, doc, but I must fight with my comrades."

"Corporal, you will stand down and evacuate the base, doctor's orders."

"Court martial me if you wish, doc, I'm fighting."

The doctor sighed. "It is not about court marshall or following orders, it is about being a liability. You cannot fight, while your spirit is strong, your body still needs to heal. Right now, in our current state, you will hamper your comrades, maybe even get them killed."

Captain Tomiere agreed with the doctor. "He's right Antoni, I feel just like you, I want to get out there and stand by our brothers and sisters, but you and I are both liabilities to them. We must listen to the doctor and evacuate. It is hard, but it must be."

 **XCOM Base Radar Center – 5 Minutes After Announcement**

The Commander and the Colonel were both in the radar center getting briefed on the situation. An unknown number of Aliens were making their way to the base, likely in retaliation for their recent successes.

"Commander, you should evacuate. I'll coordinate the defense from here."

"Negative, Colonel. You are in no shape for fighting. Plus, I will not abandon my base or my soldiers. I will coordinate the defense, you coordinate the evacuation."

"With respect sir, 1) I will not be fighting, my leg is too screwed up. 2) I am expendable and you are not. If this base falls, you must go to the Australia site and start again."

"I will not give up so easily, and for the record, you are not expendable. That's why I promoted you instead of dismissing you. Still, we could use your tactical mind. Very well, you will stay and assist in coordinating the defense, but I'm not going anywhere."

"But sir-"

The Commander cut him off. "These aliens are invading my base and threatening my people. I will _not_ abandon them, no matter what."

"Very good, sir. At least let me get a Plasma Pistol from the Armory, so I am armed while I am by your side."

The Commander nodded and the Colonel left to get his weapon.

 **XCOM Base Armory – Five Minutes After Announcement**

The soldiers were assembled in the Armory. There were only thirteen pairs of functional Personal Armor, so some of the Privates would have to go without. Major Lancer resolved to correct that situation immediately after the battle.

"Ok, Sergeants and Captains, grab a Plasma Rifle. I'll take one Laser Rifle, so will the Corporals. Privates, you get the Plasma Pistols. We'll organize in three teams. They'll come in through the accessway, so we'll station Alpha Team there. Smith, Wiesse, Mohammed, Nagura and Borisovish, you're with me. Beta Team, station yourselves in the living quarters, near the access to the hangar so that none of them can outflank us. Captain Xavier, take Boullard, Littlefield, Gonzalez, Waser and Tanaka. Gamma Team, station yourselves one block past the accessway, you'll backup whichever team needs it. Sergeant Rodriguez, you'll lead. Take the rest of them. Oh! Colonel! What are you doing here?"

"Relax Major, I'm just here to pick up an extra Plasma Pistol. I'll be coordinating with the Commander from the Radar Center. Everyone armed and ready?"

Nods and affirmations all around.

"Good, hand me a Plasma Pistol. I'll be with the Commander."

 **XCOM Base Radar Center – 15 Minutes After Announcement**

The staff were nothing if not efficient. It took less than fifteen minutes to evacuate the wounded and all non-essential personnel. They fit as many as they could on the Skyranger, which was escorted by Interceptor-2. The rest left through the accessway and drove off in a convoy of trucks. Fortunately for them, the UFO landed on the other side of the mountain from the access road, so they all left without incident.

Colonel Jimenez was briefing the team. "Major, you stationed the teams well. Lay down some proximity grenades around the accessway. Let's give them a surprise to start out. We don't know how many aliens are incoming, so be ready for a fierce fight. Break. Gamma Team, stand by to assist once the aliens breach the accessway."

Just a few minutes later, the base was rocked with multiple explosions as the aliens tried to breach the sealed entrances. "Alpha Team, Control, prepare for incoming."

 ** _Alpha Team – South Side Accessway_**

Alpha Team was ready. Proximity grenades were placed. They were all taking cover or lying on the deck, weapons poised and ready. They heard the door on the north side of the accessway open, followed by an explosion, followed by a roar that chilled you to the bone.

Not a moment later, the door on the south side of the accessway opened, revealing four hulking, green aliens with purple faces. One of them was injured from the first explosion. All four of them started for Alpha Team when the proximity grenade went off. It killed the injured alien and wounded two more.

The team opened fire without needing a command. The two injured aliens went down quickly, but the Plasma Pistols seemed to have little effect on the uninjured alien.

"Major! Our Pistols aren't working!"

"Standfast!" the major shouted as she leveled her Plasma Rifle and fired three shots towards the alien. Two of the three made contact and the alien went down with a roar.

"Control, this is Alpha-1. The Plasma Pistols appear to have little effect on these aliens. Sir, we've never faced these kind before."

" _Roger, Alpha-1. From the video surveillance, they may be the 'mutons' that the Floater medic mentioned. Have your team focus their fire and see if that works._ "

"Roger, sir."

 ** _Beta Team – North Hanger, Southeast Entrance_**

Captain Miriam "Huntress" Xavier and her team were stationed by the entrance to the hangar in order to ensure that Alpha Team was not outflanked. They were surprised by a loud explosion at the top of the hangar. The explosion was powerful enough to push the massive hangar doors apart. Five of the hulking green aliens, or Mutons, dropped from the doors into the hangar.

"Control, this is Beta-1, we have incoming. Sir, they are coming in through the hangar doors. Engaging. Out." She turned towards her team and gave instructions. "Sergeant Littlefield, take Gonzalez and Tanaka over to that storage shed. Take cover and let's get them in the crossfire."

"Yes, Ma'am" Lori responded. "Let's move out!"

The team immediately came under fire. Plasma bolts flying around them, leaving scorch marks on the walls and floor. They took cover and returned fire. Like with Alpha team, the Plasma Pistols had little effect on the Mutons. Sergeant Littlefield took out one Muton with her Plasma Rifle, but she was hit its compatriots.

"Sergeant! Are you ok?" Tanaka looked her over. "Your arm is burned bad, I'll give you some painkillers and a stimulant, but you need to stay behind cover." He instructed.

The team came under heavy fire, and were pinned down. Captain Xavier saw this and ordered her soldiers to relive some of the pressure.

"Yes Ma'am," Private Waser got down on one knee and aimed his pistol carefully. He squeezed off one shot and hit one of the mutons right in the face. Another turned towards him and he took careful aim and repeated the action.

"All teams, this is Beta-1. Mutons are vulnerable in their facial areas. Aim for the purple with your Plasma Pistols. Old Eagle Eye here just took down two of them!"

Private Waser was indeed skilled with his pistol, but his success was short lived. Floating down from the opening was a creature that looked like a giant, pink kidney.

"What the hell is that?" Sergeant Boullard asked.

"I got dis," Private Waser said. He took careful aim, but before he could fire his pistol, the kidney looking alien spit some sort of green venom at him. It landed on his shoulder and acted like acid, burning through the Kevlar and his uniform.

"Tanaka! Get over here! Stat!" Captain Xavier yelled as she moved to rip off the armor and uniform top. Her quick action saved Waser's life, but the venom still caused some severe burns on his shoulder, neck and upper arm. Tanaka treated him and patched him up as best he could.

"Captain, I must get him to sick bay to treat him more. Sergeant Littlefield needs treatment too, but she is still pinned down.

"Apha-1, this is Beta-1, we need some assistance, over."

Sergeant Smith turned towards the Major. "I got this ma'am." She said. She ran into the hangar, took cover behind some fuel drums and fired off three rounds with her Laser Rifle. All three struck true and the first Muton went down. The second Muton turned and fired on her, but she ducked down and the shots went high. "Bite me, you green p.o.s!" she screamed as she fired three rounds towards him, she ducked down for a moment, then got up and fired three more shots. The Muton roared in anger before being cut down by her laser fire.

"Damn, Felicity! Remind me never to piss you off," Private Viera Borisovich quipped.

"Felicity? No," Private Nagura added, "She is the spirit of Ferocity."

"Enough of the chit chat, secure the hangar." The Major ordered. "Beta-1 this is Alpha-1, move in and secure the hangar, out."

"Ok, you heard the Major. Tanaka, take Waser and Littlefeild to sick bay. Gonzalez, Boullard, let's secure the hangar. Move out!"

Both Alpha and Beta Teams moved through the north hangar. They searched every shed and behind every crate and drum. They found no more aliens. They met up in the hangar and the Major made the call. "Control, this is Alpha-1. Accessway and Hangar are secure. No more hostiles, awaiting instructions, over."

There was no response.

"Control, this is Alpha-1, over."

No response.

"Gamma-1, this is Alpha-1, over."

" _Love to chat. We're a little busy. Out_ " Sergeant Montse "Icequeen" Rodriquez replied.

"Move!" was the one word order that everyone understood.

 ** _Control – Radar Center, Five Minutes earlier_**

From the bird's eye view of things, the battle seemed to be going well. The first wave of aliens fell into their trap of proximity mines and was quickly disposed of. The second wave put up more of a fight, resulting in two injuries, but they too, were disposed of. No deaths, that's good. They might just pull this off, the Colonel thought. They would, but things would quickly get worse.

Two more large explosions shook the base. They went unnoticed by Alpha and Beta teams, as they were deeply engrossed in their own battles. However, they were noticed by the Colonel and the Commander.

"Gamma-1, Control, move your team to the Southeast Hangar to investigate, over."

" _This is Gamma-1, roger out._ "

Just after giving the order, there was another explosion, right outside the door, this blew the door inward. Three Mutons were standing right outside.

"Sir, get down!" the Colonel cried as he brought his Plasma Pistol to bear. He fired off three shots. Two of them connected, but that barely slowed the Muton down.

"Allow me, Colonel." The Commander opened a cabinet under the table and pulled out an autocannon, a six barrel, fully automatic heavy machine gun. "Get the hell out of my base you bloody green bastards!" he shouted as he unloaded on the nearest Muton. The rounds tore right through the already injured Muton and he went down with a bone-chilling roar.

The Colonel was stunned by the ferocious display by the Commander. The display was also brief. The next Muton levelled its Plasma Rife at the Commander and fired. The commander was not wearing any armor and was killed instantly.

"NOO!" the Colonel shouted as he dove for the Commander's autocannon. He grabbed it and levelled at the Muton, shredding it with the flurry of bullets. He kept firing and shredded the third Muton as well.

Unfortunately, that was not the end of things. The shooting attracted another squad of Mutons. The first one came to the door and the Colonel again pulled the trigger…

CLICK! CLICK! CLICK!

The weapon was empty. The Muton levelled its Plasma Rifle and prepared to fire.

 ** _Gamma Squad – Central Corridor_**

Gamma had taken cover in the center of the base, waiting to back up either Alpha or Beta team. They were facing north, not expecting any attack to come from the south. Every member of the team was surprised when green plasma bolts were fired over their heads.

Corporal Lorenzo was the first to turn around and he caught three plasma bolts in the chest. The first two damaged the armor enough that the third one penetrated it, killing him instantly.

Private Maeko Tomagachi was the first to return fire. It took six shots from her Plasma Pistol to bring down the Muton. Tom White brought one down with a grenade and Sergeant Rodriguez took down the last one with her Plasma Rifle.

" _Gamma-1, this is Control. Move your team to the Southeast Hangar to investigate, over._ "

"This is Gamma-1, roger out."

The Sergeant looked at Corporal Lorenzo. She would have to mourn him later. "Private Jones, Private T-M, bring Lorenzo to sick bay, I'm not sure if there is anything we can do for him, but we can't leave him lying here. The rest of you, with me. Move!"

Gamma team did not make it to the Hangar. Just as they passed the lab, they came under fire from the east and from the west. "Loquin, Tomagachi, east wall. White, Kamichi, west wall. Let's try to thin out the resistance."

Just then the base was rocked by yet another explosion. Sergeant Rodriguez couldn't worry about that though. She was forced to when Control never responded to the radio calls and Alpha team called her directly.

" _Gamma-1, this is Alpha-1, over._ "

"Love to chat. We're a little busy. Out."

Gamma Squad was pinned down from both sides. A squad of three Mutons firing on them from each direction. Suddenly, the squad to the west broke off their attack, turned and made their way to the radar center.

"Their headed towards control! Maeko, with me. The rest of you…cover us, and take out this squad!"

The rest of the squad laid down covering fire, while Sergeant Rodriguez and Private Tomagachi went down and around. They made their way to the Radar Center and saw a Muton level its Plasma Rifle. Sergeant Rodriguez fired off three shots right away, hitting the Muton. The Muton turned towards her and she fired again, this time, the Muton went down.

The one next to it fired at the Sergeant, hitting her square in the chest, knocking her over backwards. She landed hard and drew in a sharp breath.

"Sergeant!" Maeko screamed.

"I'm ok…breathless, but ok…take that…bastard…out!"

Private Tomagachi got down on a knee and fired repeatedly with her Plasma Pistol. She aimed for the face, but hit the Muton all over. Eventually, the Muton fell with a roar. The third remaining Muton levelled its weapon at her, but was struck from behind. It let out a roar and turned to face its attacker, when it caught two shots in the face. It fell in a crumpled heap.

"Jose Gonzalez, at your service, ladies." The Private said smiling.

"Montse, you ok," Miriam asked.

"Caught a shot in the chest. Armor took most of it. Knocked the wind out of me."

"Where is the rest of your team?"

"Right here." Private White said. "Squad neutralized, ladies."

"Ok, Maeko, get Sergeant Rodriguez to Sick Bay. Tanaka is there, have him check her out. The rest of you, split into two groups, check the two remaining hangars. The Major and I will check on the Colonel and the Commander."

The teams moved out. Major Lancer and Captain Xavier went into the Radar Center. The door was blown to the side, two of the consoles were destroyed and the Colonel was sitting there, holding an Autocannon, next to the body of the Commander.

"What happened, sir?" Lancer asked.

"They outflanked us, Major. Came in from the South Hangars as well as the north. Two squads made their way here. The Commander took out the first Muton with this. I took out two more. Ran out of ammo when the second squad came. I owe my life to whoever took down that Muton." The Colonel explained.

"That would be Private Maeko Tomagachi and Sergeant Montse Rodrigez," Xavier said.

"Well, if they're bucking for promotion, it worked." The Colonel laughed, then winced.

"Your leg, Jefe?" Lancer asked tenderly.

Jimenez nodded.

" _Alpha-1, south hangars are both secure. I think that's all of them._ "

Michelle looked at Jimenez, who nodded again. Then she got on her radio. "This is Alpha-1. Roger, sweep the entire base, south to north and meet in the Armory. Out."

 **XCOM Base Armory – 30 Minutes Later**

All the surviving soldiers were gathered in the Armory. The Colonel and the Major were both sitting in chairs, but the rest of them were standing. Captain Xavier was doing the after brief.

"We count twenty dead Mutons, one live one and one dead, unknown creature. We lost Corporal Lorenzo. Littlefield, Waser and Rodriguez are injured and in sick bay. They are being tended to by Corporal Tanaka until doc gets back. We recovered eighteen Plasma Rifles and two of those large launchers."

"That must be how they breached the exterior." The Colonel observed.

"Yes, sir." The Captain Continued. They breached the accessway and all three hangars. We were focused on the accessway and North Hangar. We were all taken by surprise when they came up through the south hangars."

"Ok," the Colonel stood, albeit with some effort. "Each of you did a phenomenal job. The Aliens tried to retaliate for taking out their base by taking out ours. You stopped them. You ensured the future of XCOM. The Aliens may try again. They either know where we are, or the loss of their ship may keep them in the dark. Either way, we are sending a salvage team over to recover that UFO."

"Sir, should we send a squad to accompany them?" Sergeant Loquin asked.

"Thank you for volunteering, Sergeant. Yes, you and your squad will accompany the salvage team, just in case there are any more hostiles. The UFO hasn't gone anywhere, so it's probably empty, but we don't want to assume anything. I need to discuss the situation with the council. I'm not sure what will happen next, but we'll continue operating as normal until I get further instructions. Any questions?"

There were none. The soldiers were feeling a little euphoric. They did it. They held the line, but it cost them…again. Each victory up till now had been hard fought, hard won and costly. This one was only different in that it sent a clear message to the Aliens. XCOM was here to stay.

 **XCOM BASE – Commander's Office – Four Hours Later**

The Colonel didn't feel right using the Commander's office. It didn't feel right to him. Still, it was the only location that had a STU phone capable of communicating with The Council. He sent word out immediately and an emergency meeting was scheduled with each of the Ambassadors. He wasn't looking forward it. He didn't like using the Commander's Office and refused to sit at the Commander's desk.

Major Lancer was with him and both were seated at the conference table. The call connected quickly and the American Ambassador, blunt as ever, got straight to the point.

"What the hell happened, Colonel?"

"Ma'am, Ambassadors, an Alien Battleship has attacked our base. It was detected at 1014 this morning. We launched both our Interceptors, but they were no match for it. Interceptor-1 was completely destroyed, its pilot lost."

The Japanese Ambassador interrupted. "The Interceptors failed you?"

"No Ambassador, both the Interceptors and Pilots performed admirably. The Alien Battleship was large and well-armed. Still, they bought us valuable time to evacuate all of the non-essential personnel. They were of course, evacuated immediately. We set up our defense around the accessway. Proximity grenades were laid around it. This was successful. The aliens came in through the accessway and were killed or wounded when they walked into our trap. However, the aliens also breached each of the hangars. One on the north side and both of them on the south side. The fighting was fierce. We lost one soldier and had three more wounded."

"What about the commander?" The British Ambassador asked.

"He saved my life, Ambassador." The Colonel replied. "These aliens, they were refered to as Mutons by the Floater Medic we captured, are extremely tough. When one of them broke through into the Radar Center, my Plasma Pistol had little effect. The Commander grabbed an Autocannon and destroyed the Muton. Unfortunately there were two others, one of which killed the Commander."

"And the other two?" The British Ambassador asked.

"I killed them with the Commander's Autocannon," The Colonel replied. "Still, ladies and Gentlemen, if it was not for the Commander's quick thinking and heroic action, we'd both be dead right now."

"How many aliens were there?"

"There were twenty-one total. Twenty Mutons and one that we've never seen before."

"Colonel, you have fought these Aliens from the beginning. You know their tactics. What are your recommendations?" The Russian Ambassador asked.

"Ambassadors, I have three recommendations I would like to make for the project. First. We need to rebuild and repair our base. When we do, we need to move all three hangars to the north side of the base and limit the entrance to all the hangars through the access way. That way, if we are attacked again, we can hold the Aliens back and defend this base with little loss or damage."

"What? You cannot do that" The Nigerian Ambassador protested. "You will be trapping yourselves in the base. You will have no way to escape if the battle goes badly."

"With respect Ambassador, there is no escape for us. If we lose the battle, we lose the base. There are only two outcomes a) all the aliens are dead or b) all the soldiers are dead. No escape, no retreat. We _must_ hold the line. Limiting the Aliens point of ingress will greatly aid in that goal. We must re-organize our base this way. Furthermore, when we build the base in Australia, we should design it in such a way that the only way into the hangars is through the accessway. The hangars should be separate from the rest of the base, with just that one ingress point, or we risk losing that base as well."

"I agree with the Colonel," The Australian Ambassador said. "I will not have a base built in my country only to be overrun by aliens. Soldiers must hold the line and limiting the alien ingress will allow them to do that."

The American Ambassador spoke up. "Colonel. You said you have two more recommendations, but I have a recommendation of my own to make. First, we are going to put you on mute. Please hold on.

The line went silent.

"What do you think they are talking about?" Michelle asked.

"Probably debating the merits of what I just told them. _Madre de Dios_ , I didn't envy the Commander for this part of his job."

The Ambassadors were back online a few minutes later. "Colonel, your performance and your dedication to this program and exemplary. We have discussed and debate the matter at length and we have decided to make you Commander of the XCOM Project. Not only that, but we are giving you full discretion on how to design, construct and man the bases. Personnel hiring decisions are now at your discretion. Base facilities and use are now at your discretion. Equipment and supply purchases and manufacturing are now at your discretion. The only limitation we will place upon you is to remain within your budget. If you are fiscally irresponsible and put the project into severe debt, we will have no choice to terminate it all together. Outside of that, you have full discretion to run the project and fight the aliens as you see fit. Congratulations, Commander. The XCOM project is yours. The future of humanity is now in your capable hands."

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am humbled and honored. I will not let any of you, or our planet down. You have my word."

"That's why you were chosen Commander. Good luck." The line went dead and newly promoted Commander Miguel Jimenez couldn't help but laugh.

"What is it?" Michelle asked.

"They don't know it, but they just put the future of humanity the hands of a…how do you say…a street-rat, yes? Yes, they put the future of humanity in the hands of a back-ally street-rat from Spain."

* * *

 **Author's Note** : **Author's Note** : And the dreaded blaster launcher is introduced. The Base Assault may seem brutal, but that's what happened on one of my playthroughs when I made the mistake of assaulting the base so early, with soldiers who had little experience. I'm trying something a little different here too, part of the story from the Alien POV. If it doesn't work, I'll remove it, if it does, I may try to expand on it in the future.

I always wondered who ran things until your soldiers got promoted. I added in the character's of The Major and The Commander as place holders until the soldiers could realistically be promoted to such a level. I hope I handled it ok. Kind of a shame the Commander died. He was secretly a bad-ass :o). I hope you enjoyed this installment. Research is about to take off and hopefully our defenders of earth will better level the playing field.


	5. Chapter 5 - TERROR IN TEXAS

**Date: 11 February, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM Base, Alps**

The entire staff of the base was assembled in the briefing room. The room was probably the fullest it had ever been up until that point. The staff, scientists, engineers and soldiers were all talking quiet among themselves.

The conversations came to an abrupt halt when Colonel Lancer announced, "Commander on Deck!"

Everyone stood up and Commander Jimenez was a little taken aback. He put his hands up and said, "At ease everyone. Please. Sit, relax."

To emphasize this point, he sat on the stage rather than stand at the podium. "Can everyone here me? In the back?"

He got a few nods of affirmation and then continued. "Thank you everyone for taking time out of your busy day to gather up. I won't keep you long, but there are some pretty big changes coming up, and I wanted to make you all aware of what they are. The council not only decided to make me Commander, they have empowered me to expand our mission, including personnel, supplies even additional bases should the war necessitate such."

He took a deep breath and then began the list of changes. "I know this will sound like hyperbole, but his war is unlike any other fought in the history of mankind. We are facing an enemy who outnumbers us, outguns us and is far superior technologically. However, we are able to bring down their craft and take out their soldiers. We have managed to prevent them from getting a foothold on earth and we stood the line when they came at us in retaliation. Each of you has done an admirable job and as the old saying goes, no good deed goes unpunished."

That elicited some laughter, easing some of the tension from the prior days assault on their base.

"The council has not only increased our funding, but many of its members are interested in some of our salvage. We will sell what we can to 1) help defer our operating costs and 2) clear out some of our storage. As such, we will be greatly expanding our capabilities. We have started construction of our second base in Northern Australia. Each base will have twenty soldiers stationed there, enough for two complete teams. We are building a second workshop here to help manufacture items for our efforts and for some of our funding nations if we have the space to spare. We will not only be recruiting more soldiers, but more scientists and more engineers as well."

"Speaking of scientists and engineers," the Commander continued. "Our efforts are going to shift there as well. I want you all to start researching the parts of the Alien UFOs that we have brought back and then try to reverse engineer them. Create a faster, more powerful interceptor. Once the scientists come up with the designs, our workshops will operate 24/7 to create our prototype."

The scientist and engineers in the room nodded and few even applauded.

The commander waited a moment before continuing, "For the soldiers, your responsibilities will increase the most. We are basically going to double our compliment, having two full teams at each base. The new soldiers will come here first and get some experience in the field before being reassigned, in fact they are already enroute. The good news is, this means promotions for many of you. The bad news is, this means promotions for many of you."

There was some more laughter in the crowd. He let it continue for a minute and then he stood up on the stage and became a little more formal. "When I call your name, please come up to the stage. Michelle Lancer, Jaques Tomiere. Each of you are being promoted to the rank of Colonel. One of you will run operations on this base, while the other will run operations on the Australian Base. Both of you will report directly to me."

There was the courteous applause for both of them.

"Miriam Xavier, Felicity Smith, Lori Littlefield, Piere Loquin, and Montse Rodriguez, front and center."

The five soldiers came up to the stage. "Miriam Xavier, it is my honor to promote you to Major. You will fill in as needed on the assault team, but your main function will be to assist one of the Colonels and myself with the new recruits. Congratuations. Smith, Littlefield, Loquin and Rodrgiuez. Each of you is hereby promoted to the Rank of Captain. You will each lead a team. Smith you are being reassigned from medic, but you will be backfilled by one of the new recruits."

More applause from the crowd. "Finally, our new squad leaders. Some of you were privates before the base assault, but I will say that each and every one of you has proven yourselves. I regret I cannot make all of you sergeants, but trust me, you all will get your due. That being said, Weisse, Ahmed Mohammed, Nagura, Gonzales, Waser, Tomagachi, White and Kamichi, each of you are being promoted to be squad leaders. Tanaka, I am promoting you as well, but you will remain a medic for now, but you will be reassigned when we create next team."

The Commander paused for the final round of applause and then closed his speech. "Each of you has performed phenomenally up to this point and should be proud. We have accomplished much in very short period of time. Our accomplishments were not without loss, however. Each of us has lost a brother or sister in arms. I know the loss of the Commander is shocking to each of you. It certainly was to me. BUT. Like the Pheonix, we will rise from the ashes into something beautiful, yet deadly. We will study, we will learn, we will fight, We. Will. Win!"

Everyone in the room let out a shout. They had held the line and while they had each experienced losses, they had overcome and they would continue to overcome.

* * *

 **Date: 13 February, 1999  
** **Location: Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico, USA**

"Dr. Albright?" A tall sharply dressed man asked.

"Who wants to know?" the doctor responded, quite curtly. She was good at her job and she knew it. Her team knew, the director of the facility knew it. She was less good at interpersonal skills.

She turned to look at the man who addressed her. "Who are you? How did you get in to my lab?" she demanded.

The facility director stepped out from behind him. "I brought him here, Doctor, and you will want to hear what he has to say. You may even put down that chip on your shoulder."

Dr. Albright remained deadpan, not reacting to the barb. "I'm listening." She said.

"I'll get straight to the point, Doctor," the man began. "Your work on free electron lasers is superb and unmatched. We are working on particle weapons that would make your laser look like a pea shooter, but we need brilliant minds like yours to help crack the code. You will be in state of the art laboratory facilities. You will have access to the greatest scientific minds and research on the planet and your resources will be virtually limitless."

"What's the catch?"

"You'll need to sever all personal ties for the duration of your research. You will have limited contact with the outside and your work will only be recognized internally."

The good doctor thought for a moment. She was not what you would call a social person, but she did enjoy the recognition of her peers. "I want my entire team to come with me," she replied.

"Any team member willing to work under our conditions is welcome."

"Very well, when do I begin?"

"Your flight leaves in three hours."

* * *

 **Date: 14 February, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM Base, Alps**

The Skyranger touched down flawlessly in the hangar. Major Miriam Xavier stood waiting for the rear ramp to descend. She remembered being on the other side, coming down the ramp, being greeted by then Major Jimenez. It hadn't been very long ago, however, it felt like a lifetime had passed.

So much had happened in such a short time. Now, instead of being a raw recruit, she was a senior officer. She remembered how she felt a little slighted at being referred to as private, but after her first mission, she knew why. She hoped these new recruits would learn quickly, those who did not learn quickly, did not live to regret it.

She liked what the Commander was doing, how quickly and how broadly he was expanding things. Having been on the first mission against the aliens, he knew better than most what they were up against and what it would take to defeat them. She was sad at the death of the Commander, but glad Jimenez was chosen as his replacement.

The loud clang of them ramp hitting the deck brought her out of her reverie. The second batch of recruits was descending.

"Welcome to XCOM," she announced. "I am Major Xavier. I will be your main point of contact on this base. Some of you will need to get acquainted with our facilities. Some of you will be moving out at the end of the month to our new facility. All of you may join me in the briefing room for your orientation."

* * *

 **Date: 16 February, 1999  
** **Location: Muton Staging Area, Sol System**

"Your mission has failed. There has been no contact in two Ethereal Days. Explain yourself." The commander of the Fourth Legion was demanding answers from the Leader of the First Consort.

"My liege, the scouts failed to provide us with detailed information. Not only that, they were detected while making their scans—"

"Enough! Only a fool blames inferior beings!" The Muton Commander hated the Sectoids just as much as his Consort Leader did, but he hated excuses and groveling even more.

"The failure was YOURS! What I want you to explain is how you will correct this blot on your record, or should I replace my Prime Consort Leader?"

"No My Liege," The Leader replied. "I will send my own scouting missions with my own men. I will get a firm location and we will wipe out the pathetic attempt at Terran Resistance."

"You better not fail. Some of our infiltration units have reported they are looking to expand their operations by bringing a second base online. We've lost our only foothold, we cannot allow them to expand."

"My Liege, if I may." The Leader had an idea he thought would redeem his failure.

"Speak your mind."

"Thank you, My Liege. Perhaps we should establish our own foothold. Our allies have shown themelves to be unreliable, they failed with their own base and the failed to locate the terran base—I say this not to pass blame, but point out their own unreliability—perhaps, we should establish our own base on their planet, get a foothold and use that to launch our scouting missions, get a firm lock on their base and then destroy them where they stand."

The Legion Commander was intrigued. "Very well, I will place this entire operation in your hands. Succeed and you will have redeemed yourself as my Prime Consort Leader. Fail, and you will be…relieved."

"It is as you wish it, My Liege," The Consort Leader bowed lowed and backed out of the room.

* * *

 **Date: 17 February, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM Base, Alps**

Commander Jimenez was in his office going through the status of the various irons he had in the fire. The new soldiers, scientists and engineers had arrived just after the latest living quarters were completed. Things would be a little tight, but once the quarters at the new base were finished, the soldiers would be relocated.

The Access at the new base was complete, the hanger was about one third of the way complete and the living quarters were very nearly done. The soldiers and some staff would relocate upon completion. They would help oversee the construction of both hangars, the radar systems, alien containment facility and armory adjunct to the living quarters. They would keep the base small until there was a need to expand it.

The repairs on the current base were proceeding faster than expected. The accessway had and most of the internal facilities were completely repaired. The main slowdown was with the two new hangars in the north section of the base. They were salvaging what they could from the south hangars, and that would help get one of them done in half the time. The other hangar would take the full twenty five days to finish, it was estimated.

In order to secure the south hangars, the large hangar doors had been welded shut. Then half inch think steel plating had been welded on the inner and outter sides. Then, five feet of reinforced concrete had been poured on top. The entire thing buried with earth. They would do the same thing to the second hangar once they were able to relocate the interceptor.

The biggest item of note had been their breakthrough with the UFO Power source. The new influx of scientists had helped. They determined it to be an anti-matter reaction chamber, which used what the scientists were calling E-115 to power the reaction. It generated so much power that it could actually generate gravitation waves and had an efficiency of 99%. At least that's what the scientists had told him. They wanted to investigate the element more, saying it could be used to power other things as well, but the Commander's priority was reverse engineering the alien crafts, so he directed them to study the navigation systems next.

They had just enough soldiers to create four complete teams. He'd like some reserve soldiers, given the losses they'd taken and would likely take in the future, but he would have to wait until two of the teams moved to the Australian Base.

His biggest coup was getting the council to agree to purchase their excess arms and equipment. Many of the ambassadors felt that XCOM should just turn over the equipment since they were funding the project, but he argued that part of his orders were to be fiscally responsible and that it would be completely irresponsible to refocus some of his manufacturing capabilities, spending time, money and resources and then simply giving things away. He argued that the added costs of salvaging or manufacturing items should be reimbursed if he was to follow the orders that the council had given him.

The vote was not unanimous, but he won over enough of the council so that a pricing structure was set up for the items they had, right down to the alien bodies they had recovered. He didn't want to think what the nations would use those for, but they were willing to pay, and he needed the space, so he considered it a win/win.

One of the upsides to the recent assault on their base was that they now had enough Plasma Rifles to fit three of the four teams. Their manufacturing shops were working on ensuring every soldier had Personal Armor as well. That should be ready about the same time as the living quarters in the Australia Base. The council asked him how each would be designated and he was surprised when they accept his half joking answer.

Given his base was the "master" base, and located in Central Europe, it would be called "XCOM-Central" while the new base in Australia would be called "XCOM-Aussie." The Australian Ambassador was actually quite pleased (so long as people used the correct term, "Ozzy" and not "Awsy"). The Commander could not help but wonder if Aussie himself would increase funding at the end of the month.

His review was interrupted by a knock on the door. It was both Colonels and the Major. Time for their meeting. He wasn't a big fan of meetings, but it was important to stay up to date on things and ensure the priorities were being carried out. He moved over to his table and motioned for his guests to do the same.

"How are the new recruits settling in?" The Commander asked, once everyone was seated.

"All of them are checked out on the new weapons and each one has been fitted for Personal Armor. Many of them were skeptical until we showed them the bodies in the morgue and let each of them try out the Plasma Rifles. Overall they're holding up ok, although this place does seem a bit more crowded then before." The Major answered.

"Any issues that I should be aware of?"

"No, Commander, not at this time."

"Ok, thank you, Major. Now for the elephant in the room," the Commander turned to his two Colonels. "Which of you goes to the new base and which of you stays here?"

"I'll be honest, sir." Colonel Lancer spoke up, "I don't even want to be a Colonel. Bust me to Captain and let me get back into the field."

They all chuckled at that. Each of them felt the same way. After the assault on their base, this war had become personal for each of them.

"You're lucky you're able to. With my leg, I'm done in the field, regardless of rank or position." The Commander lamented. "Still, from the original team, we're it. Except for you, Miriam, but you were the on the very next wave. My predecessor recognized that field experience is the most valuable, and the four of us have the most field experience. We need to use that experience to keep the new recruits alive."

"Which means we have to stay behind and provide extra support for them." Colonel Lancer completed his thought.

"Our Mission is expanding." Commander Jimenez explained. "Aussie is only the next base. There will be others. We need soldiers with experience to lead the new recruits, so they can survive and gain experience, leading more new recruits as we expand even further. Still, starting with Aussie, I need to send one of you."

The Commander let out a sigh, "Fortunately, I do not have to decide that today. I will let you both know, when I have decided though. Are there any issues that I should be aware of right now?"

All three shook their heads.

"Ok, you're all familiar with where we stand on research. Any issues, do not hesitate to bring them to me. Thank you all."

"Twenty minutes, that would be a record, no?" Jaques said with a smile.

"Don't worry, I'll make up for it next time," came the retort from the Commander.

* * *

 **Date: 20 February, 1999  
** **Location: Katy, Texas, United States**

The geologist had just turned off the highway and was almost home. He hated Houston Traffic, but at least the worst was over now. The sun was low in the sky, and he wondered if he could beat it home, that is, pull in his driveway before it set. Little mind games like that made the drive home slightly less unbearable.

He turned in to his development and immediately slammed on the brakes. There was a large snake in the road, standing as high as a man. He looked at it in marvel. He didn't notice the shiny black creature run up next to his car. The black creature reached through the driver side window, grabbing he man and pulling him out of the car. The man felt something pierce his stomach before losing consciousness. His last thoughts were of his family.

The calls to the sherriff department started with a trickle and the first few were dismissed as prank calls. However, it didn't take long for the floodgates to open and their 911 call center was overwhelmed. They mobilized the entire department, called every off-duty deputy in and made a call to the governor's office.

The Governor wasted no time. He called the President of the United States. The president called his U.N. Ambassador. There was only one unit that could help. The Ambassador would ensure the U.S. got that help.

* * *

 **Date: 20 February, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM Base, Alps**

The Alarm Klaxons were going off all through the base. Commander Jimenez and Colonel Lancer were the first two in the radar center.

"What is it?" The Commander asked.

"Sir, urgent communique from the council. Aliens are attacking Katy, Texas, terrorizing the local population." The tech replied. "Alpha Team is on Alert." She added.

"Get the bird in the air. We'll brief them enroute."

With four complete teams on the base, they kept one team on alert at all times. This team was equipped and ready to go on a moment's notice. This proved prescient as there was little time to waste in this situation.

The Alert Team was on the Skyranger less than five minutes later and the Skyranger was in the air just a few minutes after that.

 **SKYRANGER-1, Over the Atlantic, 1 Hour Later**

 **"** Alright, listen up you Sectoid lovers!" Captain Felicity Smith, aka Ferocity, was new to command, but she had plenty of experience with the Aliens. That experience would prove vital in the coming mission. "We have a lot of unknowns. Unknown number of aliens. Unknown type of aliens. Unknown extent of the terror site."

"What we DO know is that the local authorities have cordoned off an area in an attempt at containment. We'll land on the highway next to the development, scout the area, eliminate any hostiles and save as many people as we can. This is not a UFO crash or assault. There are civilians in the area, so watch your fire. That being said, kill every alien you see without prejudice. Questions?"

"Are we keeping or normal Squads?" Corporal Johanne Spiel asked.

"Good question. We'll likely be going house to house, so we'll break up into three teams of three soldiers each. Spiel, you and Vazquez will come with me. The rest of you stay on our assigned squads. Once we cross the cordon, Gamma Squad go left, Zeta Squad go right, I'll go up the center. Any more questions?"

There were none. The soldiers set to relax, or talk amongst themselves for the duration of the flight.

* * *

 **Date: 21 February, 1999  
** **Location: Katy, Texas, United States**

It was a little after midnight when Skyranger-1 touched down on Hwy 99, in the middle of Katy, Texas. A liaison from the local sherriff department met the Captain as she exited the ramp.

"Whoa! Where did you all come from?" The Liaison asked.

"Nowhere. We don't exist. What do you have for us?" The Captain replied.

The liaison laid out a map on the ramp of the Skyranger. "This is Hwy 99, where we are now. We have cordoned off the area going east to Peek Rd, and then from Westheimer Pkwy in the south up to Cinco Ranch Blvd in the north. Most people have evacuated already. Nobody has gone in. We have reports of strange creatures in there, but we haven't seen anything come out."

"Thank you, Deputy. We'll take care of your pest problem and then you forget we were here. Gamma, Zeta, move out! The rest of you, on me!" The three squads split up and carefully proceeded through the cordon.

 ** _Gamma Squad – Northern Cordon_**

Sergeant Boullard took her squad to the left, which brought them to the northern side of the cordon. There was a gas station, a café and a fitness center. All three seemed abandoned. Still, the trio proceeded carefully.

They heard movement and the Sergeant called out, "Is someone there? We're here to help. It's ok."

In response a green bolt of plasma flew her way. She ducked down to the ground and the bolt flew overhead. All three took cover and scanned the area. They could only see so far in the dark and had trouble locating the alien who fired.

Three more bolts flew in their direction, decimating the cover that Private Jonas was using. The private fired back in the direction they bolts came from, but he hit one of the gas pumps, causing a large explosion. A piercing, hissing shriek told them that the alien was either hurt or killed by the explosion.

The Sergeant motioned for her squad to wait for a moment as she listened for further noises. There were none so she carefully came out from behind her cover and moved towards the gas pumps. The flames provided some light and she was able to see the body of the alien.

She motioned for her squad to join her. "It's a giant snake," she told them when they got next to her. Then she gave instructions. "Jonas, you search inside the gas station, make sure he was alone. Igura, you go around back and meeting him there. Then both of you meet me out back of the café. I'm headed there."

Sergeant Boullard entered the café. The doors were unlocked given the quick evacuation earlier in the evening. She looked around, but the place was empty. It was eerily quiet. That quiet was interrupted by one of her privates.

"Sergeant!" Private Jonas called from outside. "You're not going to believe this, but there's a zombie inside the gas station. An actual honest to goodness zombie!"

"Are you sure?"

"Very sure…definitely human looking. Well...human-ish…"

Before he could finish, the zombie he observed exited the gas station. It definitely used to be human, most likely the former gas station attendant, based on the shirt it had on. Before the team could fully register what it was, it started to expand in all directions, the shirt and the very skin, tearing apart, revealing a creature with a shiny, dark gray carapace, crab-like claws and incredible speed. All three team members opened fire on the creature. They fired three shots from three different angles, turning it into a charred husk.

"What the hell is that thing?" Jonas asked.

"More importantly, what did that to the attendant?" The Sergeant asked.

In response, another one of those creatures ran up behind Private Igura, grabbing him from behind. The creature wrapped its claws around the private. Igura let out a yell, arching his body, before going stiff and finally slouching over. His eyes glassed over and went a milky white and he started shuffling like the zombie the squad had just witnessed.

Sergeant Boullard fired a shot with her Plasma Rifle and the Zombie Igura crumpled to the ground, lifeless. She then fired three shots at the alien that turned him into a zombie, killing it as well.

She turned to Private Jonas. "If that happens to me, I expect you to do the same thing." she ordered.

"Yes Sergeant. We should let the other teams know as well." The private responded.

Sergeant Boullard nodded and got on her radio. "All squads, this is Gamma-1, be advised of a new type of alien, six feet tall, dark gray, crab-like claws. It turns humans into zombies, and after an unknown amount of time, the human zombie turns into another one of those things. Shoot immediately. Also, shoot any zombies you encounter. Gamma-1out."

 ** _Alpha Squad – Central Cordon_**

Captain Smith, the medic and two ad-hoc members of her temporary Alpha Squad carefully picked their way through the houses of the development. Most of the lights were out and most of the houses looked abandoned. They came upon one where they saw movement inside.

The Squad entered the house and were met by a large, orange snake, standing upright, like a man. It fired at Private Spiel, the plasma bolt glance his arm. In spite of being hit, he had the presence of mind to fire back. The snake went down with an eerie hiss.

"Tellichi look after that wound. Vasquez, watch the door." Captain Smith ordered. She went to examine the alien's body. "So we have human zomies, giant, mutant crab-like things, why not giant snake-men as well?" she mused. Then she followed up. "How's Spiel?"

"Well, the good news is that it was only a glancing blow." The medic replied. "The bad news is that glancing blow took off the armor plate and burned his arm pretty good. What kind of weapon is that thing holding?"

Smith went to examine the weapon closer, picking it up and moving it around. "It's heavy, whatever it is. I'd guess it's a more powerful version of our Plasma Rifles. The smart people in white coats will have to figure that out. We'll let the salvage team gather them up. Come on, let's move."

Just then, they heard movement in a closet. All four of them pointed their Plasma Rifles at the door. Captain Smith moved carefully over, waited a moment and then flew the door open.

"Don't hurt us!" Came a high pitched plea. There were two children hiding inside the closet. Private Tellichi went over to them. "Don't worry, we're here to save you, not hurt you."

The younger of the two kids reached out and grabber her neck, hanging on for dear life.

"Where are your parents?" she asked.

The older kid answered, "The monsters got her." Then she asked her, "Are you soldiers?"

"Yes, we are soldiers and we are here to protect you." Tellichi responded.

"You'll save us from the monsters?"

"Yes, we will. We'll make sure you are both safe."

"Tellichi, you and Spiel take the kids back to the sherriff. Rejoin us if you can, if not, continue treating Spiel. Make a quick call when their safe, otherwise, keep the net clear." Smith ordered.

"Yes, Captain" Tellichi then turned to the kids, "Alright kids. Stick with us and we'll take you to safety." The two XCOM soldiers left with the two kids between them, to escort them out of the danger area.

"Ok, Vasquez, it's you and me. Let's move."

They left the house and Vasquez thought she saw movement in the corner of the yard. It was dark, so she couldn't be sure, but then she saw a glint. The glint quickly disappeared, but out of the shadows one of those "giant mutant crab-like things." It headed straight for Vasquez. She panicked and started firing wildly. The creature went down, but Vasquez kept firing.

Captain Smith tried shouting at her, but the shouts went unheard. Finally the Captain grabbed her shoulder and yanked her backwards. That brought the Private out of her panicked fog. Vasquez took a deep breath, shook off the remaining panic and pulled herself together.

"Sorry, Captain, but you have to admit, those things make your worst nightmares look all unicorns and rainbows." She said. "Madre de Dios, those things _create_ the stuff of nightmares."

She inhaled deeply, then nodded. "I'm ok, Captain. Really."

"Good, let's move."

 ** _Zeta Squad – Southern Cordon_**

Zeta Squad was having a hard time of it. They came under fire immediately and as soon as they took cover, they came under fire from the opposite direction. They were surrounded, they were pinned down and they were running low on ammo. Then, out of the dark, one of the creatures Sergeant Boullard had warned about came charging straight towards them.

Private Hans Spriegen stood and fired two three round bursts towards the creature. That was enough to bring it down, but he was quickly cut down from the other aliens that had surrounded his squad.

"All squads, this is Zeta-1, we are surrounded. We're at the corner of Torchlite and Sumners, we need assistance, over."

The reply came a moment later, when he heard plasma fire, and two hissing screams.

"This is Alpha-1, we got your back."

Sergeant Wiesse and Private Anatoli had a renewed confidence, they each managed to take out one of the three remaining attackers. The third one stopped firing and backed off.

"Status," The Captain ordered as she walked up.

"Private Spriegen is down. Private Anatoli and I have about half a dozen shots left each. By my count, four of those snake things and one of those… _things_ …whatever the hell they are, are down as well. I think there is one more of those snake things that escaped."

Sergeant Boullard and Private Jonas were on the scene a few minutes later, a little out of breath. "Sorry, we ran into two more of those snakes on the way down."

"Where's Igura?" Captain Smith asked.

"I shot him," Boullard replied.

Captain Smith looked at her askance, so she clarified, "He was grabbed by one of those crab-claw things, and was turned into a zombie. I shot him before he turned into another one of those crab-claw things."

As if to further her point, they heard a moaning. They all turned and saw a zombie, watching as the clothes and skin expanded and tore apart, revealing another one of those nightmares. It moved quicker than they thought possible, grabbed Private Jonas. The private screamed, stiffened and then went limp. They watched as his eyes glassed over and went a milky white. Captain Smith fired a three round burst, followed by another, dropping newly hatched creature to the ground.

"Just like that," Boullard said as she did the same to the former private.

"Holy Hell!" Private Tallichi screamed. "Sorry, Captain."

"You got that half right, Tallichi," The Captain replied. "There ain't nothing holy about that, but it came straight from hell."

"And you sent it right back, Captain," Sergeant Wiesse said. Then added, "What's our next move?"

"There's at least one more snake man thing out there, plus who knows how many more of those. We'll separate ourselves, but everyone stay in viewing distance of the one to your right and to your left. We'll flush out that last alien and call for cleanup."

They found it a few minutes later, hiding in some bushes nearby. It was unarmed and seemed frozen, almost as if it had panicked. The captain had an idea.

"Sergeant Weisse, do you have a stun rod?"

"Yes, Captain."

"Ok, move up very carefully, we'll cover you. Let's see if we can bring back a live one for the people in white coats." The Captain ordered.

Sergeant Weisse moved as carefully as he could, stun rod in hand. When he got close, the creature lunged at him, claws extended. Fifteen green plasma bolts were fired in its direction, most of them striking the alien. It didn't even scream, it just fell to the ground in a charred, crumpled mess.

"Damn!" the Captain swore. "We need a better way to stun these things. Those stun rods are useless." She turned to the team. "Alright, one more sweep of the area and I'll make the call."

The sweep took about twenty minutes, but they found the area clear. Captain Smith made the call, "Control, this is Alpha-1. Area is secure. Three team members, KIA. One team member wounded. Twelve enemy corpses to bring home and some more weird artifacts. We need a cleanup crew, over."

" _Roger, salvage team is onsite and will enter the area. Provide cover until cleanup operations are complete. Control out._ "

* * *

 **Date: 20 February, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM Base, Alps**

Major Xavier assembled the team in the briefing room. Like her predecessors, she kept the debriefing informal. There were six soldiers sitting in the front row. They were still taking heavy losses, but what was even worse, there was a new threat, one that seemed to replicate itself. "Tell me about these new creatures," she instructed.

"They're strait outta hell," Captain Smith began. "They're dark, they have huge crab-like claws and they do something to humans, it's like they use our bodies as chrysalis of sorts, to change us into more of them."

"They're Chrysalissians!" Private Anatoli interrupted.

"Ok, it's official. Boris you don't get to name anything. Ever." The Major retorted.

"So, these chryssal _ids_ ," the Captain continued, receiving a nod from the Major, "use humans to reproduce themselves. I'm not sure how. None of us actually got to see what happened. They move far too fast. And they're tough. Tougher than Mutons, probably. Took a lotta shots to bring em down. The zombies go down pretty easy though. That's when you have to get them, before they hatch."

"Ok," the Major said, "What about the other creatures."

"They were more heavily armed," The captain replied, "some of the artifacts we brought back seem like a heavier version of the Plasma Rifle, but they go down pretty easy. They're giant snakes, the size of a man. One of them seemed to panic. We tried to stun it, but it lashed out at Sergeant Wiesse and had to be shot."

"Those sun rods are useless," The Major said in frustration. "Don't worry about capturing live ones for now. Kill every alien on site. And use whatever force is necessary."

* * *

 **Author's** **note** : I debated whether or not a terror mission was appropriate early on, but on a recent playthrough (courtesy of DosBox), I had three, back to back to back about this time frame. They were all pretty brutal as well (I'm ashamed to admit how many soldiers I lost). These guys got of lucky :) Also, I really hate the stun rods. I think they are the most useless item in the XCOM inventory. It will probably be April before the soldiers see the stun launcher though. Going forward, we may see less deaths and more wounds. Depends on how many heavy plasma weapons the aliens bring with them...

Ok, I made a minor update. Soldiers got off too easy the first time. Hopefully this is a little better. Thank you, Praknasty for your continued comments. If anyone has any Constructive Criticism, it is always welcome!


	6. Chapter 6 - FIRESTORM

**Date: 28 February, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM-CENTRAL**

Commander Jimenez was sitting in his office. He spent too much time there, he mused. He missed being out in the field, but the ache in his leg reminded him why he wasn't out there. They had some of the best doctors in the world, but even they couldn't fully restore his leg. He still needed a cane and his knee still ached occasionally.

He had just gotten off the monthly call with the council. They were pleased for the most part. It had been an active month, destroying an alien base, defending their own base and saving a town from aliens. Still, they had let three UFOs escape in the past week and, that being the most recent activity, stuck out in their memory the most.

At least the Australian Ambassador was pleased. They had gotten off to a shakey start with Australia, but taking out the enemy base and establishing a new base in Australia had helped. The Americans were always on their side, but foiling the alien terror attack had firmly cemented them as an ally.

Also helping their case was the fact that the research efforts had born fruit. After researching the various UFO components and construction, they came up with PROJECT FIRESTORM. It would be a one seater, interceptor aircraft, manufactured from alien technology. That program was on temporary hold while they diverted some resources to researching the latest aliens they had seen in Texas.

One of the scientists was waiting outside his office to brief him on the findings. He motioned for the scientist to come in and moved to his table. "Alright, Dr. Albright, what have you got for me?"

"First of all, Commander, I'm not even sure why I was on this project. Xenobiology is not my specialty. My special-"

"Skip it, Doctor. I know what your specialty is. That is why I recruited you and your team. That being said, priorities shift around here, sometimes quickly. You need to adapt. We'll get you back to your plasma research once PROJECT FIRESTORM gets off the ground. First, please tell me what you learned about these…what are they called again?"

The doctor took a deep breath, she wasn't used to be treated this way. She was the best in her field and that is how she was typically treated…until she came here and found she worked with people who were all the best in their fields. A normal person would have found it humbling, she found it annoying, but she enjoyed the perks of working for XCOM, so she endured.

"They are called Cryssalids," she began. "They have a very hard carapace and two large, sharp claws. They carry about two dozen eggs inside of them, which they implant inside their victims. They have an extremely high metabolism, this allows them to grow fast, move fast and grants them great dexterity."

"How do they get the egg inside their victims?" The Commander asked.

"First, they inject the victim with a venom that paralyzes them and then turns them into a sort of zombie like creature. Then, it injects the egg into the host body. The egg grows at an exponential rate, feeding off the host until it is a fully grown Chryssalid and bursts out, finding more victims to implant."

The Commander shuddered. "That is a terrifying creature." He observed.

"Yes, sir. We theorize that is the purpose it was created for. Its carapace is resistant to plasma, which is why it took so many shots to bring down. Oddly enough, we've found that it is susceptible to fire. I would recommend high explosives when dealing with these creatures."

"Thank you, Doctor. Anything else?  
"No, sir."

"Ok, please finish up PROJECT FIRESTORM. Once our first prototype is being manufactured, please start on the Heavy Plasma weapons that we have recovered."

* * *

 **Date: 28 February, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM-AUSSIE**

The SKYRANGER landed in the new Hangar Bay. The ramp for SKYRANGER-2 lowered and fourteen soldiers disembarked. Colonel Jaques Tomiere and Major Montse Rodriguez were waiting for them. They, along with some support staff, had flown in a few days earlier. The base was officially going online the next day, but all they had so far were a small radar center, one hangar, living quarters and the associated armory and some general stores.

They would not be able to intercept any UFOs until the second Hangar came online, but they hoped to have a FIRESTORM by then to aid in interceptions. For now, they would train and serve as a "reserve" team if the main base became overwhelmed with UFO crash sites.

* * *

 **Date: 4 March, 1999  
** **Location: Denton, Manchester, United Kingdom**

Cory Oldshire was on his way home from his victory party. The Special Election was over, the votes counted and it was official. He had defeated the incumbent MP. His political party was small, they only held a few seats of parliament, but they had increased that number with this special election.

Now they were critical to the two bigger political parties. Neither one had an outright majority, so each needed to build a coalition. I just so happened that Cory's political party had the right number of seats for each party. Ideally, they would align with the party that was a closer ideological match to their own, but this was politics, so they would most likely align with whoever would give them a better deal.

Part of that deal included two cabinet posts, and rumor had it that this particular back bencher would be in line for one of them. It seemed a little unprecedented but it was not entirely unheard of.

He pulled in to his carport, and entered his house. It was large by most standards, but not quite an aristocratic mansion. Once he was inside, he made sure to lock the doors and enable his security system. It was more advanced than most security systems on this planet, but then, he was not from this planet.

He went to his private study and closed the door. He lifted the lid of his roll top desk, revealing a highly advanced communication device. He activated it and was met with the image of a Sectoid Commander.

"Commander, Phase 1 has been successful. Awaiting word on Phase 2."

"Very good, Izzmaguc, or should I say, 'Cory.' Bah! The terran tongue is even more primitive than its culture. You have done well. We will ensure your successful appointment for Phase 2, then it is up to you to ensure the success of Phase 3."

"Yes Commander. Cory out."

The man, a sectoid-human hybrid, created just for this purpose, would get that cabinet post and use his influence to encourage the government to sign a pact. He needed to tread carefully. If he moved too fast, he risked being discovered. Too slow and the terran resistance my thwart any attempt to woo nations away from their "project."

* * *

 **Date: 10 March, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM-CENTRAL**

Colonel Lancer just entered one of the research labs. Dr. Albright was there, and was not pleased to see her. The doctor had finally gotten to research the plasma weapons, she should be thrilled, but she bristled at leadership's interest in her work. The more time she spent briefing the leaders, the less time she had for her work. It had been suggested that she let someone else do the briefing, but she didn't trust anyone else to do it right, so she kept doing it herself.

"Colonel." The doctor acknowledged in a cold, but professional tone.

"Doctor," the Colonel replied. "I heard you made a breakthrough on the Heavy Plasma weapon."

"Yes, if you'll come with me." They walked over to the side of the lab, where there was a counter and a wooden target in a concrete alcove. The doctor picked up the weapon. "This Heavy Plasma is the most powerful infantry weapon we've come across. It is 50% more powerful than the Plasma Rifle and three times more powerful and our standard rifle. It operates on a similar principle to the Plasma Rifle, but it has a bigger chamber for the anti-grav field, allowing for a more power plasma burst. Observe."

She inserted the clip and fired a shot, the wooden target was completely obliterated, nothing but sawdust remained.

"Whoa!" that IS powerful.

"It gets better," the doctor added. "Having studied all three of the alien's plasma weapons, we understand the principle enough that we can upsize it and create a weapon for our interceptors. One powerful enough to bring down the larger UFOs. We'd have to manufacture them in house, but they would be a good fit for the FIRESTORM."

The FIRESTORM research had finished nearly a week ago and now the engineers were working around the clock to manufacture their first one. The Commander would be pleased to have a more powerful weapon to mount on it.

* * *

 **Date: 13 March, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM-CENTRAL**

It has been over two weeks since they detected any alien activity, and that was making them all nervous. They were making great strides in their research, but the lack of _detected_ activity was concerning to the Commander.

At least the prototype FIRESTORM had been complete. The scientists were almost finished researching the promised Plasma Cannon that they would arm it with, but in the meantime, the new aircraft would be put through its paces.

Commander Jimenez was on his way to the new hangar section complex now. Three hangars were now fully constructed on the north side of the base. There was only one way to enter the hangar complex and that was through the access way. That would help ensure the defendability of the base, or that was the hope at least.

Dr Albright and Colonel Lancer were waiting for him in the Northeast hangar when we arrived. The Firestorm was sitting in the middle of the hangar, surrounded by floodlights, all of which were pointed at the shiney new craft. Cables and hoses were connected to various points of the new fighter, and technicians were making final adjustments or taking readings.

The fighter was circular, about 15 feet in diameter. It was sitting on three retractable landing gears, one on the forward half and two on the rear half of the fighter. At first glance, the landing gears were the only way to tell which part was the front of the craft. Upon closer inspection there were hardpoints to mount the weapons, either the current missile systems they employed or the soon to be produced plasma cannon.

Commander Jimenez was impressed, and he let it show. "Nice job. Nice job, indeed." He said. "I assume the power source is in the middle?"

"Yes, Commander," the doctor answered. Then she moved underneath and place her hand near a panel. The bottom slid open. "We can refuel it with Elerium here."

"Elerium?"

"Yes, sir. The element E-115. Dr. Johan Eler is the lead scientist on that project, so they dubbed the element 'elerium.' It has a nice ring to it. The element itself has a lot of potential. Anyway, the Firerstorm was designed for easy and quick refueling."

"So how will our pilots learn to fly it?" Colonel Lancer asked.

"The first step was to figure out how the UFO Navigation worked. Once we figured that out, we looked at the stimulus required to affect traditional orientation and direction. We found them to be vastly different from how they are configured on our own craft, so we needed to find a way to simulate the stimuli—"

"In English, please doctor. I'm a soldier, not a scientist and English isn't even my first language." Commander Jimenez interrupted.

Dr. Albright looked annoyed, but she complied. "We're in essence, 'tricking' the UFO navigation, so it can be controlled by our own terrestrial analogue of an HMI."

"So you married the human system with the alien system, so that the pilots will think they are using human controls and the craft will think it is being controlled by alien controls?"

"That is a gross over simplification," the dr. complained, then sighed, "but at its most basic level, yes."

The Commander looked pleased, whether it was at is "basic level" or her annoyance was anyone's guess. "Thank you, Dr. Albright. When is the first test flight?"

"Tomorrow morning, 0800."

* * *

 **Date: 14 March, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM-CENTRAL, Hangar**

The Commander, Colonel, Major and Dr. Albright were all in the Hangar. The Firestorm was parked in the middle, but the lights, the cables and the hoses were all gone. The only remaining item was the ladder for the pilot.

The pilot strolled into the hangar precisely at 0730. He walked straight to the aircraft and started performing the pre-flight checks. The notepad on his kneeboard was thicker than usual, having a slew of checklists, as well as space for him to take notes throughout the flight so the engineers can review them later.

He was strapped in and ready to go a few minutes before 0800 and right on the dot, the Firestorm came to life. There was very little noise, and no vibration. The craft rose a few feet off the ground, the three landing gears retracted and the smooth, circular craft just hovered there, about eight or nine feet off the ground.

What an awesome site it was! A slight humming was the only sound present. The craft shimmered slightly and it just…hovered…not moving, shaking, vibrating, nothing. It was completely still.

The silence was interrupted by the pilot's voice, coming through an overhead speaker.

"All systems are green. Checklist one through four complete. Ready to see what this puppy can do." The pilot was trying to mask his excitement with professionalism, and failing. This was a major leap forward in aeronautics and he was the first person to fly it.

The Doctor looked at Commander Jimenez, who smiled and then nodded. "You have a go." She said.

The Firestorm slowly rose up through the hangar. Passing the hangar doors, it stopped and hovered briefly, then shot forward out of sight.

 **XCOM-CENTRAL, Radar Center, 5 minutes later**

The group moved to the radar center so they could track the aircraft. It was easily twice as fast as their interceptor and would have no problem with the smaller UFOs they had encountered. It might even outpace some of the larger UFOs they had come across. It was hard to hide their excitement. This was a major accomplishment for the organization and for humanity.

 _"_ _Control, this is Firestorm-1, I'm in Russian Airspace, over."_

"What? Already?" The Commander was very surprised.

"Yessir, this aircraft will outpace any human craft and many of the alien crafts as well. It's range is limited only by the small amount of Elerium it can hold." Dr. Alright informed him.

The commander nodded, then got on the radio.

"Firestorm-1, this is Control Actual. Push her to the max. How was the sonic boom?"

" _Control, I didn't feel anything when I crossed Mach-1, not so much as a shudder, over"_

The Commander looked at the doctor.

She answered his unspoken question. "The same field that provides propulsion also somehow manages to dampen the inertial effects of acceleration. The craft can go from standing still to Mach-1, with zero g-forces affecting the pilot."

The Commander was doubly impressed.

 _"_ _Control, I've opened her up…approaching Mach-7, over."_

"Roger, Firestorm-1. How does she feel?"

 _"_ _She feels, fine sir. I can maneuver her in any direction, change course on a dime. This thing is amazing! Pardon me, sir."_ The pilot was enjoying his first flight and his excitement was overcoming his professional demeanor.

The Commander did not mind. He was smiling pretty broadly himself. "This is an amazing feat, Doctor Albright. You and your team should be proud. This will be a tremendous help in our fight against the aliens.

* * *

 **Date: 14 March, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM-CENTRAL, Commander's Office**

Commander Jimenez was sitting at his small table, eating dinner. He normally ate in the mess with everyone else, but he had a lot of information to pour over this evening. He was interrupted by a knock in his door.

Colonel Lancer was standing there with a tray in her hand. "Mind if I join you, sir?"

"Only if you drop the formality, Michelle. We both know the only reason I'm in charge is because I didn't listen to the medic and screwed up my leg. Our positions could easily have been reversed."

"No, you're in charge because you kept your wits when Mike was shot and you saw the first ever alien. You're in charge because you took charge on that first mission kept the rest of us alive. You're—"

"Alright, I get it…maybe I shouldn't have told you to drop the formality after all," he said with a laugh.

"Be careful what you wish for, _jefe_ " She responded.

"Seriously, though, Michelle. It's the luck of the draw. I could have been first off the ramp and received that plasma bolt through the chest. Out of the eight of us, how many are left? Half? It's been tough, but I'm glad you're here to help me out."

"We've been through some serious, shit, Miguel. I fear it will only get worse for our team."

"I fear you are correct."

There was silence between the two of them for a few minutes, then Michelle spoke up. "This has been the toughest month. In January and February, we were so busy fighting, there was no time to take stock of what had happened. This month, even with our advances in research and bringing the new base online, has been fairly low key by comparison."

"And it gives you more time to think, to reflect, eh?"

Michelle smiled weakly. "Yeah."

"Well, we're in better shape now. We have armor that can withstand the plasma, we figured out how to use their own plasma weapons and now we have an aircraft that can match them. This means, they will probably step up their game."

Michelle stared off into the distance for a moment, brought her eyes back into focus, looked at Miguel, and then smiled. "Well, you know just as well as I do what we're up against, we'll give 'em hell for sure."

They were both interrupted before the commander could respond.

"Sorry to intrude on your meal, sir, but this is very important," the tech said.

"It's ok, come sit down and show me what you've got."

The tech brought his datapad over to the commander but remained standing. "Sir, this footage was taken during the test flight this morning."

As the commander watched, she saw the grainy outline of a UFO. It looked like a squashed eight, similar to the one that was observed in Australia near where the enemy base was located. "Wait, this is in Austria! How did we not detect this? Is it still there?"

"Sir, we moved in with the satellite and we show it is still on site."

"What are you waiting for? Launch the Skyranger!"

"Colonel, we need to take out this craft and then find out how it landed so close and undetected."

"Yessir." Both the Colonel and Tech said in unison.

* * *

 **Date: 15 March, 1999  
** **Location: Just outside Kaisers, Austria**

It was still early morning when the Skyranger circled over the coordinates it was given by control, but there was nothing there. They were too late. "Control, this is Skyranger-1. Bogie is absent. Ground is clear, request instructions, over."

 _"_ _Skyranger-1, this is control. Search the immediate area and report, over."_

"Roger. Out." The pilot moved the Skyranger into an orbit pattern to search the area.

After about an hour, the pilot was about to report, when he saw a light. He moved the aircraft to investigate and saw a green flash. It took him a moment to realize what it was, but then he suddenly jinked the aircraft.

"Control, this is Skyranger-1. We're under fire! I say again, we're under fire!" The pilot flipped a switch, "hang on back there, we're taking fire, the rid is about to get bumpy."

The pilot worked the controls of the aircraft, moving it in ways it was not designed to move. It held up under the stresses and the pilot successfully avoided plasma fire.

" _Skyranger-1, this is control. Report."_

"This is Skyranger-1, we've avoided enemy fire, but there is something down there, over."

 _"_ _This is Control. Roger, land and release the ground team to investigate."_

The pilot let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding, acknowledged the order and looked for a safe place to land.

The plane found a small clearing in a mountain valley and landed without incident and the rear ramp descended. It was eerily quiet out. No birds or insects made any noise. Even the sound of the wind moving through the trees was absent.

Captain Smith took charge. "Alright, Gamma Team, fan out and search for the source of enemy fire. Zeta team, establish a perimeter and be ready to provide back-up. Tellichi, you're with me."

"What about the HWP, Captain?" Sergeant Boullard asked.

"Take it with you, Sergeant. Use it to help scout the area."

Lisa nodded and then gave instructions to her squad. "Spiel, Boot, go left. Sultan, on me, we'll go right and let the HWP go up the center. Move out!"

Gamma squad fanned out and moved northward, away from the Skyranger.

The brush was thick in the valley, the Skyranger finding the only open area to land, and it made searching difficult in the low light. Gamma team slowly moved northward, away from the Skyranger. Suddenly, a green plasma bolt came from the tress, striking the HWP. Two more followed in quick succession, hitting the gun camera and one of the side cameras.

The HWP was, effectively, out of commission, but it had served its purpose. Sergeant Boullard and Private Sultan took cover behind trees and looked towards the direction the fire had come from. They could not see who or what had fired at them.

"Sultan, cover me!" Boullard cried as she raced from tree to tree, moving in the direction of the plasma blasts.

Private Sultan fired a few shots of suppression, giving his sergeant cover. Boullard moved from tree to tree, inching towards the clearing, using the trees and Sultan's suppressive fire as cover. As she moved close the clearing near the rock wall, she left her cover and was hit with a plasma blast. She went down with a scream.

Private Sultan called for a medic on his radio and then rushed forward to use his medkit to provide immediate aid. Sultan was hit with three plasma blasts and fell just short of where Boullard lay.

Captain Smith was closest and immediately gave orders. "Zeta Team, move to my position. Recover the fallen. Spiel, Boot, Tellichi, you're on me, provide cover!"

The soldiers all moved to carry out their orders. "Shit! They're Mutons!" Spiel called out. "Looks like three or four of them!"

"Steady, Spiel, they bleed just like us. Take a deep breath if you need to but aim for the purple and fire away." Captain Smith did her best to keep him from panicking while Zeta team recovered the two soldiers and brought them back to the Skyranger.

More Mutons entered the fray. They were about to be outgunned. The HWP was shot multiple times, but so far none of the remaining soldiers were injured.

 _"_ _Alpha-1, this is Zeta-1, both team members are secure in the craft, returning to your positon, over."_

"Negative, Zeta-1, we're aborting the mission, we're enroute to the Skyranter," Smith replied, then she issued orders. "Spiel, Tellichi, head back to the Skyranger. Boot and I will cover you."

Corporals Spiel and Tellichi leap frogged from tree to tree back to the Skyranger. Spiel managed to take out one of the Mutons. Covering fire from Smith and Boot kept the rest of the Mutons from advancing. There were about five or six Mutons now, more than the two of them could hold off.

Tellichi entered the Skyranger to care for the wounded, while Spiel took a knee near the ramp and got on his radio to let the Captain know they were back.

Captain Smith and Private Boot performed the same leap frogging maneuvers back to the transport craft. This time, the Mutons advanced on their position. Both Smith and Boot managed to take out one each of the aliens, but they kept advancing.

As the XCOM soldiers made it to the clearing where the Skyranger was, they had no choice but to make a beeline for the ramp. The first Muton to reach the clearing levelled his plasma weapon at Captain Smith, but before he could fire, he was hit with two plasma blasts from Spiel, one in the arm and one in the head. The alien went down with a horrific scream.

Captain Smith took a knee next to Corporal Spiel while Boot went up the ramp. "Thanks for the assist," she said. "Now get in there."

"You can't hold them off yourself, and they're still a danger to the Skyranger," Spiel replied.

"I have no intention of holding them off, and the Skyranger will be fine. She's a tough bird. Now get in there!" Smith ordered.

Spiel nodded and went up the ramp. Smith took out one more Muton before climbing on the ramp. As soon as both feet were on metal, she yelled, "GO!"

The Skyranger lifted into the sky faster than its design allowed, with the ramp closing as it gained altitude. A few of the plasma blasts glanced off the outter skin, but none of them penetrated or hit anything sensitive.

Once they were at a sufficient altitude, Captain Smith took stock of her soldiers. "How are they?" She asked Tellichi, referring to Boullard and Sultan.

"They're both dead, Captain. I'm sorry, there was nothing I could for either of them."

"Don't be," Smith replied. "They were probably killed instantly. Anybody else hurt?" she asked the rest of the team. They all shook their head in the negative, and Smith got on the radio. "Control, Alpha-1, mission aborted. HWP lost, two soldiers KIA. Three Mutons dead, but left behind, no artifacts recovered. Currently RTB, out."

* * *

 **Date: 15 March, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM-CENTRAL, Commander's Office**

This briefing was unlike the previous ones. First, it was the first time XCOM failed a mission. Second, it was just the team lead briefing Colonel Lancer and Commander Jimemez. Third, it was taking place in the Commander's office.

"Initially, there were only a handful of Mutons, but once the fighting started in earnest, more of them came to bear."

"How many more?" The Colonel asked.

"I'm not sure, ma'am. It's really hard to say. We lost the HWP, Sergeant Boullard and Private Sultan right off the bat. Things went to hell after that."

"Lisa's gone? Shit." The commander shook his head. "Sorry, please continue."

"Lisa…I mean Sergeant Boullard and Private Sultan were moving towards the clearing near the base of the rock face. With the HWP damaged, we lost our eyes, as it were. Boullard was just at the end when she was hit Sultan went to her aid and was gunned down."

"Then what?" Lancer asked.

"Tellichi and I arrived on the scene, but there was too much fire coming from the mutons to look over either of them, so I had Zeta squad bring them back to the Skyranger."

"Why not your medic?"

"She was fighting right beside me. Took one of those green bastards out. Once Zeta squad confirmed they were in the Skyranger, I sent her and Spiel back to join them. Then Boot and I followed behind. By that point, we were out matched, I had no choice but to abort."

"You did the right thing," The commander reassured her, "But if you're like me, and I think you are, you'll want to make up for 'failing' the mission."

"Yessir, I appreciate that and whether I'm like you or not, you are correct."

"Good, because you are going back. Tonight."

"Sir?"

"The alien UFO was gone. It was the same type of UFO that was near the Australian base. If there were Mutons there after the UFO left, that can only mean there is another base, this time, in Austria. You are taking thirteen other soldiers and destroying that base. It's now our top priority."

"Yessir, may I take Captain Littlefield with me?"

"Of course. Privates Vera Borisovich and Lotis Calbred will fill out your team. Lori and her three sergeants will fill out the mission team. You need a new squad leader, who do you recommend?"

Captain Smith was taken aback by that last part. "Excuse me sir? Who do _I_ recommend?"

"You know your team better than I do. Tell me who would make a good squad leader."

"Spiel. He started off a little shaky, but he pulled it together, protected the team, saved my ass to boot."

Smith blushed a little. "I mean, sir, my—"

The commander laughed slightly. "It's ok. The council may call me commander, but I'm a grunt just like you."

"Yessir, anyway, I would recommend Spiel."

"Ok, give him my congratulations, he's your new squad leader for alpha Squad. Colonel Lancer will brief your team on the next mission. You leave in three hours. Dismissed."

* * *

 **Date: 15 March, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM-CENTRAL, Briefing Room**

"We don't have time for formalities, so I'll get right to it," Colonel Lancer began. "We have a suspected Alien Base, right next door to us. You all are going to destroy it."

"How many aliens?" Captain Littlefeild asked.

"We don't know." The Colonel replied.

"What's their make-up?"

"We don't know."

"Where is the entrance?"

"We don't know."

"Umm, Colonel…what exactly _do_ we know?"

"We know there is an alien base nearby. Based on the last one, we have an idea of how it is laid out. We know what the control center looks like and how to destroy it. Most of you were on the last base mission, so you know what to expect. Maybe two dozen aliens. They're like all Mutons, so you won't have to worry about mind control."

"Mutons are tougher than sectoids or floaters." The Colonel continued. "They're more resilient and better at tactics. Don't bum rush the place. Keep in constant contact. You'll break up into four teams to sweep through the base quicker. Once the control center is located, coverge and destroy it. Then break up and sweep the base for stragglers. No recklessness, Mutons are tough, but they're not invulnerable. Keep your heads on and you'll all be fine, clear?"

Michelle scanned the group, nods all around.

"Good. We've experienced some losses lately, but we always come out ahead. It's time to deliver another message to these aliens, and you all are the messengers. Get to it!"

"Yes, ma'am!" They all shouted in unison.

* * *

 **Date: 15 March, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM-CENTRAL, Commander's Office**

After the briefing, both Colonel Lancer and Commander Jimenez went to the hangar to see the team off. Once the Skyranger lifted out of sight, they went to the Commander's office.

"Bad leg or not, you're not a grunt anymore, _Jefe_." Michelle said.

The commander looked at her quizzically.

"I can see it in your eyes. You want to be on that Skyranger. You want to take out that base."

Miguel half sat, half leaned on his table. "Don't you?" he retorted.

Michelle sighed, "Yeah, I do."

"It's not even that I need to prove myself. I just hate risking other people's lives when I'm not going to be risking my own." The Commander complained.

"I understand, Miguel. I feel the same way, but this is our lot now. Like it or lump it, you need to run this whole operation. You're humanity's last hope, street rat." She said with a smile.

"That's Commander Street Rat to you, Nurse." He shot back, also smiling.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I always thought development of the FIRESTORM was given short shrift in the original XCOM. I tried to make it a bit of a bigger deal. Again, I apologize for taking so many weeks to post a new chapter, two major hurricanes got in the way.

 **I apologize profusely for taking so long to get this next chapter out and for not making it longer. I understand if many of you thought this project was abandoned. It was not, life got in the way of my hobbies and I had to put it on hold for a bit. I am "back in the groove" as it were and aim to have the next chapter up in a week or two. I hope this is enough to tide you over. I combined this with the previous chapter to make things a little more meaty. Next is a a brand new chapter! Comments and suggestions are always welcome. Thank you again for your patience!**


	7. Chapter 7 - ASSAULT

**Author's Note** : First, I re-organized the chapters. Some of them were a little light, so they got folded in to others. I apologize if that caused any confusion for anyone. Next, I took a few creative liberties with this chapter. I'm trying to stay as true to the original game as I can, but I think this helped the narrative a little. I never actually experienced this in game, but read where it happened to others. Finally, I plan on going back to the Alien point of view and giving the Aussie team some action in the next chapter. As always, constructive criticism is welcome!

* * *

 **Date: 15 March, 1999  
** **Location: Just outside Kaisers, Austria**

The Skyranger circled around the site of the previous battle, looking for any activity. The site looked clear, so it landed in the same area as it had earlier that day. Captain "Ferocity" Smith was giving instructions as the rear ramp lowered.

"Zeta squad, you're out first, establish a perimeter around the Skyranger while we disembark. Gamma squad you'll make for the rock face and find the entrance. Private Calbred, you're with me for this one. Our call sign will be Alpha Squad. Captain Littlefield and her group will go by Beta Squad, they'll bring up the rear. Questions? No? Good. Move out!"

Gamma squad made it to the rock face without incident. "This is Gamma-1, coast clear, searching for the entrance, over."

 _"_ _What? No welcoming reception?"_

 _"_ _They probably didn't think we'd be back so soon."_

 _"_ _That would fit with the superiority complex."_

 _"_ _Cut the chatter!"_ Captain Smith barked. _"All squads meet by the rock face and look for the entrance. Let's get in there before they know we're here."_

The base entrance was located after about 15 minutes of searching. Like the previous base, they found themselves in a room with a green floor. Four glowing red tiles were in the northeast corner, which they assumed to be the lift down in to the base.

The entire team made their way to the southeast corner of the base. From initial appearances, it had a similar layout to the previous alien base.

Captain Smith gave orders right away. "Zeta squad, you sweep west from here, until you can't go any further. Gamma squad, go north one room and sweep west from there. Beta squad, go north two rooms. I'll take Alpha squad north three rooms and sweep west from there…get on the radio as soon as you find the control center. Move out."

Zeta squad was the first to make it to the other side of the base. Sergeant Weisse called the team lead. _"Alpha-1, this is Zeta-1, southern rooms clear, over."_

"Roger, sweep north until you can't anymore, then sweep back east. Out." Captain Smith replied. Her squad entered the northern entrance of a big room. The Captain recognized the layout from the previous base. She signaled to Captain Littlefeild, who just entered the southern entrance.

"If I recall correctly, there is a small door on the western side. You and your team sweep south, we'll sweep north. Do NOT enter that door until we are all there, clear?"

Captain Littlefield remembered what had happened and simply nodded.

Both teams circled around and met up at the small door on the eastern side of the west hallway. Captain Smith's face went pale for a second, but she took a deep breath and the color quickly returned to her face. "Ok," she began, "I'll go in first. All of you remain here until I give the all clear, understood?"

"Felicity," Captain Littlefield started, "I remember what happened. You witnessed it. Let me go in first and you follow up behind."

Captain Smith shook her head. "I appreciate that, but no. Stay here, wait for my signal. If one of those bastards has a blaster launcher, you take him out before he does any more damaged, got it?"

"Got it….good luck."

Felicity "Ferocity" Smith steeled herself and ran in. She got to the lift, quickly went up and did a 360. The small room was empty, with a door on each wall, north, east, south and west. "This is Alpha-1, all clear."

Captain Littlefield let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding, then quickly issued orders. "Tanaka, Calbred, with me. The rest of you, guard this door."

The three of them joined Ferocity on the second level, who immediately issued orders, "Littlefield, north. Calbred, east. Tanaka, west." She then went to through the south door and found the room empty. "Clear!" she called.

"Clear!"

"Clear!"

"Clear!"

All four met back in the center room. "Where all they all? This place is awful quiet." Captain Smith observed.

"Too quiet," Captain Littlefield agreed. "I recommend we find the control center as soon as we can."

"Agreed."

They didn't have to go far. Directly to the west, through the northern opening in the west wall, they found the circular room, along with the alien fungus on the floor, ceiling and walls.

Captain Littlefield and her squad went through the southern opening in the western wall and found themselves in a huge bay or hanger of some sort. Lori remembered what had happened last time and braced for the worse, but it was empty. The other two squads came up from the two entrances in the southern wall, but there were no aliens.

She motioned them over and all three squads went north, joining Captain Smith. Ferocity looked at them and nodded. "Ok, Beta and Gamma squads, circle around to the west and then the north. Zeta squad with me. We'll all meet at the north doorways."

All four squads met up at the doorways and lined up on either side. Captain Smith opened the doors and plasma bolts were exchanged immediately. Who fired first is anyone's guess, but the fight was fierce. It was also brief and ended with two dead Mutons and no casualties for the XCOM soldiers.

"Zeta squad, guard the door. The rest of you, split up and meet at the south doorways." Captain Smith ordered.

The groups circled around and met up without incident. "Ok, Gamma squad and my squad will run in, toss some grenades through the lift and run out. _B-L_ , you and your squad cover us." Smith gave her orders, abbreviating, Captain "Big Lori" Littlefield's nickname.

Ferocity opened the doors, counted down with her fingers and ran in with her team. Six grenades were through the lift. A few plasma blasts came through in response. One of them hit Private Calbred in the back, sending him flying forward. Captain Littlefield and Sergeant Tanaka pulled him through and Tanaka tended to his wound.

The rest of the team made it back unscathed. The listed for the half dozen explosions and dozen or so secondaries, the noise drowned out the angry screams of the Mutons. They waited a full five minutes after the noise died down, before going in to investigate. Captain Littlefeild went in without a word. Captain Smith followed her and motioned for the rest to cover them.

They found complete destruction on the second level. The grenades had set something off. It almost looked as if there was a bit of a chain reaction. The Mutons didn't stand a chance at survival. The captains counted four bodies, but they were barely recognizable. They decided four was a good number.

Sergeant Tanaka approached as they returned to the rest of the group. "Ah, apologies Captain. Private Calbred…" he shook his head and looked down sadly.

"It's ok, Doc, it's not your fault," Smith said. Then she turned to the others. "I need two volunteers to bring Lotis back to the green room. The rest of us will sweep south."

Tanaka was the first to volunteer. Private Alton Boot volunteered next. The rest of them met up with Zeta squad, and then broke up to sweep the base again. Everyone met back in the green room without incident.

"Doesn't this seem odd to you?" Big Lori asked.

"Yeah, this place is empty…just six of them? And only near the control center? Where are the rest?" Ferocity answered.

"We swept the place twice." B-L observed.

"Yeah, ok, I'll call it." Captain Smith replied, then got on the radio. "Control, this is Alpha-1, site secure, 1 KIA, 6 aliens, recommend sending salvage team, over."

"…"

"Control, this is Alpha-1, over."

"…"

"Control, this is Alpha-1, come in, over."

"…"

Smith turned to Littlefield. "Shit." She said. "Something's wrong. We need to head back, stat." She turned to the rest of the group. "Back to the Skyranger. Move your asses!"

Once everyone was aboard, she went forward to the pilot's cabin. "Base isn't responding, get us back, quick as you can."

"Could be the mountains," the pilot responded. "They could be interfering with the radios."

"Not these radios. We need to get back. I know I can't give you orders, but you need to push this thing to its limits."

"Roger," the pilot responded as he worked the controls. The Skyranger shot up into the sky and then shot forward with barely a transition. If Felicity had not been holding on, she would have flown backwards. She wondered if the pilot did that on purpose, but he was doing a good job at hiding whatever amusement he felt.

* * *

 **Date: 15 March, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM-CENTRAL, Radar Center, Two hours prior**

The Battleship appeared on the scope without warning, just a few miles out. The tech wasted no time in sounding the alarm.

The Alert-5 FIRESTORM was launched immediately.

 _"_ _Control, Firestorm-1, Uniform-11 appears to be a battleship, over."_

"This is control, roger, engage with caution."

 _"_ _This is Firestrom-1, roger, going hot on Avalanch…moving into range…FOX 1!"_

The missile streaked across the sky and had no trouble hitting a target as large as the alien battleship. The UFO fired back, hitting the Firestorm.

 _"_ _Control, I'm hit. Minor damage to avionics…FOX 1!"_

The pilot fired off his second and third missiles back to back. Both struck the UFO, but barely did any damage. The UFO returned fire, causing more damage to the Firestorm, but it was still flying.

"Firestorm-1, Control, move to stand-off distance, stay out of range."

 _"_ _Roger, maintaining stand-off distance."_

The technician watched as the UFO approached the base. Sending up the Alert-15 would be suicidal. He made the call.

"All stations, UFO-11, inbound. Looks to be a battleship. ETA 7 seven minutes. Prepare for base assault."

 **XCOM-CENTRAL Accessway**

Commander Jimenez joined his soldiers in suiting up. They had enough personal armor for everyone, but only six more Plasma Rifles. Fortunately they had three Heavy Plasmas. There were no spare clips though, so things would be tight. To make this even worse, there were only six soldiers on the base. Colonel Lancer, Major Xavier and the Commander would have to fight as well.

The soldiers were suited up, armed and by the accessway in a matter of minutes. Major Xavier and Private Mohammed were using the wall to the hangar as cover. The commander walked up and told the major to take cover on the other side of the accessway.

"Respectfully, no sir." Miriam replied

"Excuse me?"

"You should not be here at the front line, you shouldn't even be out here. I realize we're a little short on soldiers, so you suited up, but with your leg, you are liability, you need to be back there." She said, pointing. "Frankly, sir, we don't have time to argue about it."

The Commander hated to admit it, especially to himself, but she was right, on both counts. He could see the determination in her eyes. He'd felt it himself just a few short weeks ago. He nodded and moved to the hallway behind the accessway. A private had already taken cover there, and he simply said, "Move." His tone made it clear there was no room for argument. The private looked towards the Major, who nodded and he shifted back. All the soldiers were behind cover and just in time.

There was an explosion and the hangar doors were forced open. Mutons dropped through from above. "Open fire!" Major Miriam "Huntress" Xavier called out and she dropped a muton with two blasts from her Heavy Plasma

One of the Mutons threw an alien grenade that exploded in the accessway. All four doors were blown off. The explosion killed Major Xavier outright and severely wounded Private Tabrez Mohammed. One of the doors from the accessway finished him off. The remaining soldiers were stunned.

Commander Jimenez dropped to one knee, levelled his Heavy Plasma and dropped the Muton who threw the grenade. Another Muton fired at the Commander, but he ducked behind the wall. The plasma blast took a chunk out of the corner, leaving scorched marks around the edge. Colonel Lancer fired off two three round bursts, killing the Muton who fired on the Commander.

The Commander got back on his knee and fired his weapon, killing another Muton. "Did you all forget how your weapons work?" he screamed. "Open FIRE!"

That was enough to shake the soldiers out of their stunned inaction. All of them opened fire on the Mutons. Half dozen went down before they wised up and took cover. One of them threw an alien grenade but it fell short.

"Blaster Launcher!" one of the soldiers cried. Private Charles Jones saw it and fired his Plasma Rifle. He fired two three round bursts, the last two hit and that was enough to drop the Muton.

For the next hour, neither side made any gains or suffered any losses. The Mutons could not get close enough to use their grenades and the one Muton tried to grab the blaster launcher was quickly gunned down. The Mutons were unable to break out of the hangar, but tie was a loss for XCOM. The situation needed to change and change quickly.

"I'm out!" the Commander yelled. "Valich, switch!" Corporal Valich sprinted forward and took the Commanders spot.

"I'm out too!" The Colonel shouted.

"Callioni, switch!" The Commander ordered. Private Callioni moved to the Colonel's position. A muton took advantage and fired at her, hitting her in the leg. Corporal Valich took out the Muton.

"I'm ok, Armor took it" Callioni said. She immediately began firing on the Mutons, who were behind cover. She hit one of the oil drums, causing an explosion that took out the Muton behind it. The other Mutons scrambled for more suitable cover.

"What do you think, Nurse?" Miguel asked.

"I think we're running low on Ammo and may have to switch to laser rifles."

The commander nodded. "Pierre, head to the armory, grab as many laser rifles as you can carry and bring them back here…move!" Private Allure ran to the armory to carry out his orders. Before he got back, the Mutons stopped firing. At first, they heard a marked increase in the plasma weapons firing. Then, dead silence. They waited for a few minutes, but silence remained.

It was suddenly broken. "Clear!" came a voice. "Hold your fire! Friendlies inbound! 78362-Sierra!"

"Hold your fire!" The commander ordered. "Ferocity! Good timing! Have your team sweep the hangars. B-L, have your team sweep the exterior." Both Captains nodded and carried out their orders.

Commander Jimenez half sat, half slumped to the floor and let out a breath. "That was close, Nurse." He said.

"I know. Too close. We need more soldiers, and more weapons."

"Well, I'm assuming alpha team was more successful in their base assault than the aliens were. Weapons and clips should be ok. Let's note right now, to not ever sell plasma magazines of any sort. We'll talk about the rest later. Make sure clean-up operations go smooth. I'm gonna get our base operational again."

Michelle nodded and set about carrying out her orders.

 **Commander's Office – Twenty minutes later**

Captain Smith, Captain Littlefield and Colonel Lancer were sitting at the Commander's table. The captains were being debriefed on their mission first, then they would be briefed on the alien's failed assault.

"The base was laid on in a similar fashion to the first one, although the rooms were laid out differently. We entered the base near the southeast corner. We broke up into four teams and swept east to west. There was absolutely no resistance. We all met up at the control center, which was in the northwest part of the base. It was only here that we encountered the slightest bit of resistance."

"Define 'slightest bit'," the Colonel said.

"When we opened the north doors to the control center, there were two Mutons guarding the entrance."

Colonel Lancer nodded and motioned for her to continue.

"We entered the outer circle and made our way to the south doorways, into the control room proper. We threw some grenades up on to the second level. There were a dozen or so secondary explosions, but not before they fired blindly in our direction. Private Calbred was hit in the back by a lucky shot, he didn't pull through."

"Damn," the Commander observed. "Sorry, please continue."

"We did another sweep of the base, this time from north to south. Nothing. There were only six Mutons total. Two when we first entered into the control center area and we found four bodies in the control center itself when all the explosions had finished. I radioed in for the salvage team, but could not get through.

"Yeah, we had our own issues here. I'll get to that in just a moment."

"Yessir. We made it back here as quickly as we could. Pilot pushed the Skyranger to its limits, and then some. We saw two of the hangars blasted open. The one furthest from the access way was empty, so we repelled in there. We managed to surprise the Mutons from behind. It was an intense firefight, but we got them all, without any further injuries to our team."

"Anything to add, Captain Littlefield?" The Commander asked

"No, sir. We did our sweep, like you ordered, but came up empty. It was odd how empty that base was. Think they knew we were coming? Chose to launch the attack with fewer soldiers to defend our base?"

"More than likely, our previous visit alerted them that we knew where they were. That base you assaulted was very likely a staging ground for what they did today. Once they were discovered, they had no choice to but hit us. I tried to get you all out there quickly, but not quick enough, apparently."

"Jefe," Colonel Lancer began. "Miriam's death was not your fault."

The Commander opened his mouth to respond, thought for a moment, then closed it. The Captains looked at him questioningly. "Let me brief you on what occurred here while you were out," He said.

"We had a very large UFO inbound. We launched the Firestorm."

"Did it work? Oh, excuse me sir." Captain Smith interrupted and then apologized for her interruption.

"S'ok, it did…sort of. It withstood the UFO's weapons but took heavy damage. Still, it survived three shots. Hit it with three Avalanche missiles, doing minimal damage. We do have a more effective interceptor and in another day or two, we should have more effective weapons to mount on it. We're going to build more, but I'll get to that later."

"Yessir, thank you sir."

The Commander nodded and then continued. "We did not have time to evacuate people, but the changes we made to the layout of the base did keep the aliens from infiltrating past the hangars. We set up our defense in the accessway. Non-essentials were sealed away in the old hangar area. The Mutons came through the hangars, just like last time."

"We noticed the outer doors were blown open," Captain Littlefield confirmed.

"Major Xavier and Private Mohammed were up front. The mutons hit us with a grenade first, both of them were killed. We had mostly rookies, so the Colonel and I took down the first few Mutons, and then they seemed to wake up and started firing. We quickly fell into a stalemate. They couldn't advance and we couldn't get to them without exposing ourselves. One of them tried using a blaster launcher, but the alien was quickly cut down. The colonel and I ran out of ammo, so we switched places. That's when Callioni was hit. I sent Private Allure to fetch some laser rifles and that was about when you all showed up and saved our skins. Kudos to both of you."

Both captains nodded. Smith spoke up. "So, Huntress and Bolo, both gone in the same day. I'm sorry, sir."

"Thanks," The Commander let down his guard a little. "A few weeks ago…God, seems like ages now…I was on the other side of this table having a very similar conversation with my predecessor. I was even a Major at the time, so when Miriam wouldn't let me take her spot up front, I knew that she would gladly risk court martial before moving. I knew because I had that same look, which is why the Commander let me go on that first Base Assault…we lost Colonel Copperfield and I was permanently injured. Now I know exactly how the previous _jefe_ felt when we came back. Both of you have shown exceptional skill and leadership, so I am promoting both of you to Major, but there will be one condition which you will not fail on."

They were both shocked, whether it was the sudden promotion or the coming condition, the Commander couldn't say, so he continued. "Both of you will hold me accountable to doing what's right, not what's convenient. The base and the soldiers and the program all come first. We can't let our own personal pride interfere, bad things happen. Are we clear?"

"Very clear sir," the both said. "And, thank you, sir." Captain Smith said.

"Don't thank him yet, you don't know what you're in for." The Colonel said with a smile.

The mood was lifted slightly and the Commander took his queue. "Major Smith, you are in charge of recruiting and training soldiers. I want twenty-four soldiers at each base. You will promote two team leaders to Captain and as many squad leaders to Sergeant as you need. You will also be the Colonel's back-up. The deputy deputy, as it were."

"Aye, sir." She replied.

"Major Littlefield, you will command both Alpha and Beta teams. Work with Ferocity on the rosters for both. Once they're set up, you make the calls. You're not to go on missions unless you are filling in a specific need. We'll need both of you here for base defense. We're sorely lacking experienced soldiers and it's only going to get worse when the new rookies arrive."

The commander then shifted gears. "Colonel Lancer, I want you to focus on researching a better armor for our soldiers. The Mark 1 Personal Armor was good, until the Murons showed up with their Heavy Plasmas. We're still losing too many soldiers, that needs to change and quickly. When will the Plasma Beam project be finished?

"Another day or two at most."

"Tell Dr. Albright she as one day, and then she needs to focus the team's efforts on better armor."

"Sir, if I may," Captain Smith began. The Commander nodded and she continued. "We could also use a better HWP. Our current one doesn't hold up much better against the Heavy Plasma."

"Good point. Armor first, and then a better HWP. Those are the two new priorities for our scientists. Ok, that's all I have. Any questions?"

"What about clips for the weapons?" Major Littlefield asked.

"Salvage teams are already enroute to the battleship and alien base. Another is coming through our base as we speak. We'll have enough for the time being. We're not selling clips anymore and our engineers will manufacture more if we need them. We need to conserve Elerium, but if we need clips, then we'll use some of our stockpile. Anything else?"

Neither of the newly promoted majors had any questions, so the Commander dismissed them. Colonel Lancer remained behind. Once the door was closed Miguel let out a long breath.

"You did well, Jefe." Michelle said.

He just looked at her.

"I mean it. You saved the base, you listened to your subordinates, you kept your own pride in check, and frankly, you were pretty badass out there, gimp or not."

That last part brought a smile to the Commander's face. "Thank you, Nurse…healing the mind as well as the body, eh?"

She laughed, "Yeah, I guess so."

"Bolo was one of us. One of the original eight, I mean," Miguel started. "I think that hits the most. Just you, Jaques and myself now."

"We're going to lose more soldiers before this is over, we can't stop that."

"No, but we can minimize it. Huntress and Bolo were both some of our best. We can't stop soldiers from dying, but we can do everything in our power to prevent it. We can't keep going out there with rookies anymore, Michelle. We need more experienced troopers, and we only get the experienced ones, by keeping the inexperienced ones alive."

"No argument here, Jefe. I'll make sure we get better armor for our troops, you keep from beating yourself up, ok? You really are doing a fine job. The council was smart to put you in charge."

"And here I thought you were bucking for my position."

"Not on your life, it's way too hard and too much paperwork for me," she said with a laugh.

 **Barracks – Five minutes later**

As typically happened, word of the captain's promotion to major reached the barracks before they did. Most the soldiers were cleaning their gear or cleaning themselves, but they all looked up when the two women arrived and greeted them with applause.

"Yeah, yeah, thanks and all that." Major Smith said, but she was smiling.

"So, Ferocity, how'd it go?" Private Boot asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean the up close and personal with the Commander. How was the old coot?"

Major Smith started to correct him, but Private Antoni Valich beat her to it.

"Hey, watch what you say about the Commander. He saved all our asses today while you were out dicking around."

"Right, a man with a cane is a superhero?"

Antoni decked him. Major Smith stepped to intervene, but Major Littlefield stopped her.

"Have you even bothered to read anything about XCOM? You little _suka_? That 'old man with a cane' was the first to encounter an alien and not freak out. He went on every mission he could, even when he didn't have to, even when he was injured. You didn't seem him out there today. When the Major…umm, I mean Major Xavier…was killed, we all froze. He took out two Mutons before any of us could find our fucking triggers. That 'old man with a cane' has more alien kills than any one on this base…more than all of you rookies put together. You best show him a little more respect, or it will be more than my fist you feel, understand?"

Antoni's message was received loud and clear, by all of them. Littlefield gave Smith a knowing smile and then went to clean up.

* * *

 **Date: 16 February, 1999  
** **Location: Muton Staging Area, Sol System**

The Commander of the fourth legion was engraged. He had three of his Cohort leaders present and for the first time, some of them were knowing fear.

"How could this happen? How could those primitive _baka*_ destroy then entire ground force we placed?"

"My liege, if I may…?" The leader of the second cohort began.

"Stop your groveling and speak!"

"Our base went offline after the assault was launched. This would indicated they waited until the base was empty before they took it…"

"WHY WAS OUR BASE LEFT UNGUARDED!?" The Commander roared.

"We can only assume it was the decision of the Prime," the leader of the third cohort said deftly.

The Commander saw through his ploy. "We do not blame the dead for our failures. The Prime was ten times the warrior as any of you. He died in the face of the enemy, like a true warrior should. Yes, he failed on his first assault, but he lead this one personally and died with honor. You will not sully his name with your pathetic excuses. You want his position? You earn it."

"To that end, my liege, I have a plan," the second cohort leader began, with more confidence than he felt.

"Explain."

"Our infiltrators are only in a select few countries. We should send a message to the rest. We've already hit one city in the…in the United States…we should hit another, this time, I will see to the details myself. If we can't hit the resistance force directly, we can erode their support."

"Normally there is not much honor in fighting a lesser enemy, but there is a certain cunning to your plan. Make sure you succeed…you're all dismissed."

* * *

 _*Baka is actually a Japanese word that is roughly translated as idiot, fool, moron. I thought the context was a little fitting. I'm going to attempt to show how the different races relate in future chapters._


	8. Chapter 8 - TERROR TAKE TWO

**Author Note:** Apologies, again, for any confusion caused by the chapter re-organization. Here is the next full chapter. As promised, the AUSSIE team gets a shot at the action. I'll be mixing things up between the two teams as things progress. As always, constructive criticism is welcome!

* * *

 **Date: 17 March, 1999  
** **Location: Port of San Diego, United States**

The whistle had blown, signaling and end to the work day. Longshoremen, crane operators, truck drivers and various other port workers were streaming through the turnstiles into the parking lot. Raul left through the north gate and turned onto Harbor Drive. He typically cut through some of the side streets until he got to Market St, which he took to the interstate.

He was sitting at the last traffic light before I-5 when he noticed it was taking longer than usual. He poked his head out the window and saw a line of cars going through the next few intersections, and then he heard the noise. Just barely over the traffic, he could hear screams. After another few minutes, he saw mobs of people running towards him, from the other side of the interstate. He didn't stick around to find out why. He pulled an illegal u-turn and went back to the coast.

 **Sherman Heights, Same time**

The scene was chaotic. People running every which way, completely terrified. From what the patrolman could make out, green "monsters" were firing "lasers" at everyone, indiscriminately. He called for backup, stating there was a riot—he knew he'd be demoted if he reported what he'd been told—but then he saw it: A green monster with a huge gun. He didn't get a chance to report it, though, the green monster fired its "laser" at him and he went down without a scream.

Other reports from the area, 911 calls make from the local payphones, flooded the local police headquarters. The Captain at the station called the city commissioner, who in turn called the National Guard.

When the governor got the word, he made a call to Washington D.C. He was sure the Whitehouse would hang up on him, thinking he was a crank caller. To his surprise, he was put right through to the President of the United States. Even more surprising was the President's matter of fact tone and assurance that he would get just the help he needed.

* * *

 **Date: 17 March, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM-AUSSIE, Radar Center**

Colonel Tomiere was on a secure call to the Commander. They got word of the terror site and CENTRAL was still reeling from the assault they had just barely survived.

 _"_ _Jaques, you're up for this one. Location, designated Terror Site-2, is San Diego, CA, near the 10_ _th_ _Street Terminal. Skyranger will land on I-5, which is already closed to traffic. Captain Loquin can be briefed by the local authorities if he wishes, but you all know what to expect going in. If local reports are to be believe, you'll be dealing with Mutons, so take it by the numbers. Let me know if you need backup._

"No worries, _Jefe_ , we have things under control. You get CENTRAL back online and we'll handle the aliens."

 _"_ _Good. Bring them home safe. Brief me after."_

"Yessir. We'll keep you posted."

The Colonel ended the call and headed to the armory. The AUSSIE base was still a little more austere than CENTRAL, function over form, but they had what they needed to complete their missions.

"Alright, everyone listen up! The terror site is in the states, west coast, San Diego, near the port. Descriptions from local reports indicate Mutons, so be careful. Their Heavy Plasma weapons can penetrate your Personal Armor, so no unnecessary risks. Captain, you can coordinate with the local authorities, the pilot has the coordinates. Questions?"

"Yessir. When are we getting some of the Heavy Plasma weapons here?" Sergeant Johanne Waser asked.

"They are still recovering from their last base assault over at CENTRAL. Once they have their inventory catalogued, they'll ship some this way. In the meantime, your Plasma Rifles are effective against the Mutons, just pick your shots and stay in cover."

"Yessir."

"Alight, load up!" The Captain barked. The team made their way to the Skyranger to save San Diego.

* * *

 **Date: 17 March, 1999  
** **Location: Near Port of San Diego, United States**

Crossing the International Date Line always tripped up at least one of the soldiers. Most however, passed through without giving it a second thought. The Skyranger landed on a closed off section of I-5. Captain Loquin was first off the ramp. He headed over to the state troopers, flanked by two of his squad leaders.

"What's the situation, gentlemen." He asked.

"Who the hell are you?" the lead State Trooper asked.

"Captain Kangaroo. We're here to solve your rodent problem. You should've been expecting us."

"Well, Mr. Kang-"

" _Captain_ ," Loquin interrupted. " _Captain_ Kangaroo. Now what's the situation? Or perhaps you'd prefer to take care of the situation yourself?"

"You mean, you ca actually kill those things?" One of the other troopers asked, in disbelief.

"We _have_ killed those things. They bleed just like you and me."

The lead State Trooper sized him up and then nodded. "We've cordoned off a small area," he pointed to a map that was spread over the hood of his cruiser. "19th St is here, right next to the interstate. We've cordoned off the area going out to 25th, from Imperial up to Market St. None of them have tried leaving that area, but there still may be some civilians who were unable to get out."

"Got it, we'll save the civilians if any are in there, and eliminate the hostiles." The Captain turned to his squad leaders and gave his instructions to Delta Team. "Zeta from the North, Gamma from the south. I'll take Beta straight in. Move out."

Sergeants Gonzalez and Tomagachi nodded and left to carry out their orders.

 ** _Cordon, 19_ _th_ _St, Beta Squad_**

"Eagle Eye, take your squad northeast two blocks, then head east. Private Koltan, you're with me, we'll go southeast." The Captain ordered.

Sergeant Waser nodded and left with his squad.

Captain Loquin and the two privates with him started off in their determined direction. They had been walking just a minute or two, scanning the area, when they heard a woman scream. The two privates dropped caution and took off running. The Captain swore under his breath and took off after them.

Private John Johnson ran straight into a plasma blast. He was still breathing when the captain got there.

"Great, the medic," The Captain swore. "Stupid American John Wayne bullshit. What were you thinking? Where's your medkit?"

The medic pointed and the Captain pulled it out and treated him. Fortunately, the armor took most of the blast, but their medic was most likely out of action.

"Captain! Duck!" Private Koltan screamed.

Captain Loquin went flat just in time as three plasma blasts flew right over him. Private Koltan returned fire, killing the Muton assailant. The captain got back up and scanned the area. He found another Muton and let loose a three round burst, dropping it. He scanned the area again and once it looked clear, he went back to treating the medic.

"Thanks, Jake, keep a look out while I finish up." He ordered.

Once the medic was patched up, Captain Loquin asked if he could walk. He nodded and started to get up, but was very unsteady.

"Jake, help him back to the skyranger and then await further instructions. I'll link up with Waser and his squad."

"Sir, with respect, you shouldn't go alone."

"Yeah, but thanks to Mr. John Wayne here, I don't have much of a choice. Either he goes off alone or I do, and he won't make it back without help. Waser and his squad aren't far, I'll be fine. Go on."

 ** _Northern Cordon – 76 Gas Station_**

Heather Liu was terrified. She was a customer at the gas station when the attack started. She had no idea what those hulking green monsters were, or why they wanted to kill everyone, but she was a survivor and she would find a way out. She was sitting on the floor behind the counter, listening. She heard movement on the other side of the store.

She cautiously poked her head around the corner and saw the monster. Its back was too her. The thing was huge! She saw the rippling muscles on its back, giving it a hunched over appearance. It moved. She quickly pulled her head back, holding her breath. She listened intently and it seemed to be walking away from her.

She peered around the corner again and saw it go into an aisle. That was her chance. She leaped for the door and shot out as fast as she could. The noise attracted the monster. Heather ran towards the gas pump and crouched down on the other side of it.

The monster crashed through the door and let out a roar. That roar sent a shivers through Heather's entire body, fear starting to creep deep inside her. She tried to shake it off. _Hold it together, Heather, you'll get through this_. She listened. The monster was clearly searching for her. She dared not peek now.

She listened intently, it didn't sound like it was moving, so she decided to take a chance. She bolted for the next gas pump and dropped down behind it. She listened again, straining to hear any sort of movement from the monster. It let out another roar, which shook her to her core. She heard its footsteps, and held her breath again. She could hear it searching for her, she dared not move or make the slightest sound.

One of the gas pumps exploded, followed by another. _What the—_ Her last thought was interrupted as everything went white.

 ** _Northern Cordon – Zeta Squad_**

Sergeant Gonzalez went up to Market Street and then went east, passed a 76 gas station and noticed movement inside a warehouse. "Everyone, take cover" Gonzo ordered. There were various shipping crates lining the way and each of the squad members took cover behind them.

Gonzo peeked his head around the corner and saw what appeared to be a floating kidney.

"What is that Sarge?" Private Rami whispered.

"I'm not sure, but there was one of those when the Mutons attacked our base the first time. Be careful, it shoots some sort of acid."

As if on cue, the alien shot a blob of green acid, it hit the shipping container, melting away the sides and the contents within.

The Sergeant got down on one knee, leveled his Plasma Rifle at it and fired. His shots went wide. The alien shot back with its acid and hit Gonzo. The acid ate through the armor and attacked the flesh.

Sergeant White immediately fired back. The alien burst open and fell to the ground. Private Qi let out a sigh of relief, but Private Rami started panicking.

"Those things…they're gonna melt us all with their acid."

"Calm down, Sami," Sergeant White cautioned. "They can be killed to. Take a deep breath."

Private Rami wasn't having any of it. "Deep breath? Those things will melt my lungs!" He took off running. "Ahh! Another one!" he shouted and started firing wildly towards the gas station. He got off five shots before he was tackled from behind by Tom White. One of those shots hit a gas pump, which set off a chain reaction of explosions at the gas station.

"Take a damn breath!" Sergeant White said.

Private Rami lay on the ground, breathing heavily. Finally, his breathing slowed as he regained his senses. "Sorry, Sergeant, I don't know what came over me."

Sergeant White got up and extended a hand to the private. "You need to keep your wits about you, or you'll get us all killed. Do that again and I'll shoot you myself. Clear?"

"Yes, sorry, yes."

"Good, let's go look at the mess you created."

"Excuse me, Sergeant? What about Gonzo?" Private Qi asked.

"We'll come back for him when the area is clear."

Private Qi nodded and the group made their way to the gas station. There were a few small fires burning, but most of the area was a charred wreck. There was one small humanoid body, burned beyond recognition, and a half burned Muton corpse on the edge of the damaged area.

As they were investigating, plasma bolts flew past, hitting the charred remains of the support post for the gas station overhang.

"Everyone down!" the Sergeant ordered.

"Where is it?" Rami asked.

"There!" Qi pointed, then fired her weapon, missing the Muton.

The Muton fired back, hitting Private Rami, who went down with a shout.

Ping Qi fired back again, hitting and killing the Muton.

Tom White turned towards Private Rami. "Sami, you ok?"

" _Al'ama_. He got me in the arm. Burns like hell."

"Can you move?"

"Yeah."

"Are you going to freak out again?"

"And have your huge bulk on top of me again? No thanks. One thing you're not is tiny."

Qi started laughing. "Tiny. You Tiny now, Sarge."

Outwardly, Tom was shaking his head. Inwardly, he was glad they were able to laugh off the tension. "Ok, you two, let's go. Sami, be careful with your arm, take cover if we make contact and we'll get you patched up as quick as we can. Move out."

 ** _Central Cordon – Beta Squad_**

Captain Loquin caught up with Sergeant Waser and the rest of his squad. "Report"

"All clear so far, sir. Where's the rest of the guys?"

"Johnson was injured. I sent him back with Koltan to escort him."

The Sergeant nodded and they kept moving.

"What's that?" Private Guerra asked.

"What's what?" the Captain responded.

"That, right there." The private pointed to the bushes.

They all moved closer to investigate and heard movement and rustling behind the bushes. Weapons were leveled and primed.

"Don't shoot!" a man cried out. He was half-shielding a woman, half holding up his arms. "Please, don't shoot."

"It's ok," The Captain said. "We're here to help. If you head due west, until you hit 19th street, you'll be in the clear. The police have a barricade set up, but they'll let you through."

"But…what about…those…those things!?"

"It's ok, the area is clear. Go straight to 19th street, no detours. When you get to the barricade, tell them Captain Kangaroo sent you."

The man looked confused, but nodded. He grabbed the woman by the hand and they ran towards 19th street.

Captain Loquin watched them go and when he was satisfied he turned and ordered, "Let's move."

They had just entered a small park when they another noise. This time, it wasn't innocent civilians. The captain held up a hand and took a knee. The rest of the squad followed suit. They all scanned the area. Sergeant Waser found the Muton first. He fired immediately, but missed.

" _Quatsch!_ Missed!"

Private Guerra also fired and missed. Sergeant Kamichi fired and hit, but it just pissed the Muton off. It let out a roar that sent chill down all their spines.

Two more Mutons appeared. "Take cover!" The Captain ordered.

Each squad member took cover where they could find it, behind a statue, a large potted tree, even a bench. They were quickly surrounded, and were taking fire from all directions. They were unable to see all their attackers. All they could see were the green plasma bolts flying overhead from multiple directions.

"All units, this is Delta-1. Beta squad is completely surrounded. We require immediate assistance. Converge on my position."

 ** _South Cordon – Gamma Squad_**

Gamma squad had not made contact with any hostiles when the call came over the radio for assistance. Sergeant Tomagachi was a cautious leader, he knew they needed to get up there quickly, but he also know they needed to proceed smartly.

"Ok, we leapfrog. Lee, Alcone, you move. Xi, you're with me. We'll cover while they move. Then we move while they cover. Go!"

The squad leapfrogged from house to house, following the map on their HUD, until Private Leo Alcone held up his fist, stopping the procession. He pointed to his eyes, then towards the house in front of him, then held up one finger. He got the nod from Tomagachi and fired a three round burst from his Plasma Rifle.

The Muton roared in anger and turned to fire back. Alcone fired another three round burst, dropping the Muton. A second Muton came out of the house, and this one was shot by Private Ju Lee. Alcone let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and nodded a thanks to Private Lee.

Sergeant Tomagachi made a motion with his hands and the leapfrogging continued.

 _Central Cordon – Beta Squad_

The battle was not going well. Neither side was gaining any ground, but a tie was a loss for Beta Squad. Captain Loquin lost the picture. He made a bold command to regain control of the situation. "Cease fire!" he called. And again, "CEASE FIRE!"

"Tell them that!" Sergeant Waser quipped.

"Just a minute. Listen, do you hear?" The Captain said when the firing stopped. "Two of them, over there." He pointed. "Who has grenades?"

"I do" Private Guerra, taking cover behind a concrete bench said.

"Ok, launch in that direction." The Captain ordered.

"FIRE IN THE HOLE!" Guerra shouted as she launched the grenade. They all took cover as the grenade exploded, killing two Mutons. Guerra immediately came under intense fire. The first few shots obliterated the bench, the next shots hit her. She went down without a scream.

"Damnit!" The Captain swore.

Sergeant Waser located Guerra's assailant and let loose an intense barrage of his own. Six shots, five of which hit the Muton. He ducked immediately afterwards as the remaining Mutons returned the favor.

"How many of them are there?" Sergeant Kimchi asked.

"Keep shooting until they don't shoot back, then we'll count." Waser replied.

"Can't I'm out." Kimchi retorted.

"I gotcha covered." Waser fired a few more shots, forcing the other Mutons into cover.

"Status." Loquin ordered.

"I'm out." Kimchi replied.

"Me too." Waser said.

"Damn. Ok, Waser, take Guerra's Plasma Rifle. Kimchi, stay down."

The Mutons noticed the lull and advanced. One of them was struck from behind.

"Someone call for an exterminator?" Captain White called out.

The Mutons turned to face the new squad. That gave Waser the opportunity to take out one more.

There were two more Mutons, and they turned to flee. Captain Loquin directed Zeta Squad to pursue them.

One of the Mutons turned to fire, but its shots went wide. Zeta Squad got into a running firefight with Mutons, but Private Qi managed to take both of them out in the end. Once the area was clear, all the squads met up at the park.

"Report." The Captain ordered.

"Gonzo is down. I count five dead aliens by our squad." Waser reported.

"We encountered two Muton, both neutralized." Tomagachi reported.

"Ok, Zeta and Gamma squads, do a final sweep of the area and meet up at the Skyranger. Beta squad, with me. Help get Guerra back."

 ** _Terror site – I-5, Skyranger_**

All three squads of Delta Team were assembled by the Skyranger. Captain Loquin gave the all clear to the State Trooper. "Stay out of the area until our salvage team goes through. There may be booby traps. Once they're done, you and your men will be able to move in."

The trooper made no attempt to argue. Instead, he gathered up his own men and prepared them to go in once he got the go ahead.

Captain Loquin made the call. "Control, this is Delta-1, fourteen aliens dead, two soldiers KIA, two wounded. Area is clear for salvage, we're RTB, out."

* * *

 **Date: 18 March, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM-AUSSIE, Armory**

Major Rodriguez met the team in the Armory. She wanted to keep things informal, but needed a full debriefing so she and the Colonel could report to CENTRAL. "Break it down for me, Captain."

"Yes ma'am. After coordinating with the local authorities, I sent Zeta squad to the north and Gamma to the south. The medic and I went in the center with Beta squad. We broke up into two smaller squads and split up. I was with Koltan and Johnson, when Mr. Johnson, aka John Wayne, went charging in to rescue a damsel in distress, getting himself shot in the process."

"Wait, your medic went charging in?" The Major asked.

"Yes Ma'am, I won't speak to his thoughts or motives, I can only tell you what happened."

The medic was already in sickbay, so the Major nodded and motioned for him to continue.

"I patched him up best I could with his medkit and sent both him and Koltan back to the Skyranger. Then, I went to link up with Sergeant Waser and the rest of his squad. Things went pretty smooth…we found a pair of civilians and sent them back to the highway where the authorities were waiting…then we got to the park and all hell broke loose."

"What happened?" Rodriguez asked.

"We came under heavy fire, from all directions. There were between four and seven Mutons. It was hard to count, so I'm not sure how many were firing at us at once. We all took cover as best we could, but the fog of war clouded things pretty quickly. I called for the squad to cease firing and got a good listen. Private Guerra had a grenade and used it to take out two Mutons that were nearby. The others retaliated pretty mercilessly. They destroyed her cover and then destroyed her. We kept firing back until we were running out of Ammo. The other two squads showed up soon after we ran out. Just in a nick of time, if you ask me."

"Thanks, Captain. Sergeants, report."

White spoke up first. "We entered the cordon from the north. There was a café and a gas station. There was one of those floating kidney things by the café. It shot acid at our cover and then at Sergeant Gonzalez. Stuff ate right through his armor. I took it out before it could cause any more damage, but was not quick enough to save Gonzo."

"It's not your fault, Tom. Please, go on."

White nodded and continued. "Rami noticed a Muton near the gas station. He fired at it, but…"

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry…he missed the Muton and hit a gas pump. That set off a chain reaction. The series of explosions killed the Muton, but it appeared to also catch a civilian."

"Do you know for a fact the civilian was alive before the explosions?"

"Well…no ma'am. It's impossible to say."

"Alright, I appreciate your candor, but neither of you have anything to worry about. Continue," the Major ordered.

"Yes Ma'am…so we investigated the site and came under fire again. That was when Rami was hit. Ping took out that alien, and the coast was pretty clear after that. We got the call from Captain Loquin and proceeded south to the park as quickly as we could. I think we each managed to take out one…even Rami, with his bum arm, took one out."

Rami looked a little embarrassed, but the Major just nodded. "Why don't you go to sickbay and have doc take a look?"

Rami left and White continued. "It was a pretty intense firefight, ma'am, but we managed to take some pressure off the captain and his team. Two of the Mutons fled, but they didn't get far before we took them out."

"Thanks, Tom. Toshiro, how about you?"

"We had very little resistance by us, Major. We scouted the area until we received the call from the Captain. Then we carefully made our way to his position. We encountered two Mutons, but they were dispatched without a problem. When we got to the park, the engagement was largely over."

"Ok, good…Mutons are tough, but you all survived. You all did good…even John Wayne. Go get cleaned up and get some rest."

 **Colonel's Office – One Hour later**

Colonel Tomiere and Major Rodriguez were discussing the previous engagement with the Commander over secure comes.

"Looks like the Mutons are getting serious about their incursions. They overmatch us, you know." The Colonel observed.

 _"_ _There's little we can do about it for now, Gento. I'll send some Heavy Plasmas your way, but those are in short supply overall. We are working on developing a better armor for our soldiers. The smart people in white coats should have something figured out by the end of the month. Where do you stand on personnel?"_

"We lost two in the last mission. Two more wounded, one seriously. The medic of all people. He'll be out of the game until the end of the month. The other one should be back on the roster in a week, according to our doc."

 _"_ _Good. I want you to have two full teams, plus a few soldiers in reserve. I'll send some veterans your way, fill out the rest by recruiting some rookies."_

"You got it, Jefe. Want my recommendation for promotions?"

 _"_ _No, handle that on your own. I trust you. We'll send some more sets of Personal Armor your way with the Heavy Plasmas. Once we're producing the new armor we can swap them out. Anything else to report?"_

"Not on this end. It was a tough mission the troops came through, as always."

 _"_ _Of course they did. We're XCOM. Thanks for the update. Out."_

The Colonel broke the line and turned toward his major. "Alright, _Icequeen_ , using your cold logic, who do you recommend leads Team 2?"

"I would have to say Sergeant White. From the reports and footage, it looks like he took charge and kept Gonzo's squad alive. He also saved Loquin and Waser's squad."

Jagues nodded. We'll need to squad leaders as well.

"That's easy. Kamichi came down here as a Sergeant. I'm surprised she wasn't one already. Ping Qi would be a good one. She's a little too…bubbly…personality-wise, but she's sharp as a tack, um, tactically."

The Colonel chuckled. "Good. I have no issues with any of them. Let them know. It will be a few days before we get the veterans from CENTRAL. I'll work on recruiting some rookies to fill out the roster."

"Sir, forgive my asking, but isn't that the Commander's job? Recruitment, I mean?"

"Promotions too…but he delegated that to me. Did you notice how I delegated that straight to you?" He smiled as the look of realization dawned on her face.

"Yup. Just like that. Delegation. The Commander was given a lot of leeway by the council and he's given me a lot of leeway in how we run things down here. He'll jump in if things get out of hand, but his plate is full enough already. Speaking of which. I want to see a new roster tomorrow. Just fill in 'rookie' where the new recruits will go for now."

"Yessir." Major Rodriguez got up. "I'll inform the group of the changes."

The Colonel nodded and the Major left his office.

 **AUSSIE Base Barracks – Concurrently**

"So, Tiny," Ping began, "Why you don't mention Rami panicking?"

"After what we all faced? Anyone can panic. It can get us killed in the field, but he recovered pretty good. No need to rat him out to the brass. Besides, if he does it again, I'll shoot him."

"Actually, Captain, Qi here will have to shoot him." The Major interrupted.

All of them were started.

"Relax, we're all grunts, even 'the brass' we've just had a steeper learning curve is all. I've taken your statements and I've reviewed your footage. I've witnessed people panic in the field, but they usually get over it quickly and I haven't seen anyone panic twice. That's not to say it can't happen, but you're right to take care of your own, Tom. That's why you're being promoted to Captain. You'll lead Epsilon Team."

Ping laughed. "You one of the brass now, Tiny."

"Glad you think that's funny, Qi. You're being promoted too. You'll lead Gamma Squad on Epsilon team. Guess who is on your squad?"

"Ugh…Rami?"

"Yup. Enjoy." Major Rodriguez left and it was Tom's turn to laugh.

"So, _Pong_ , guess you need to watch Rami now."

"It's PING"

"Not anymore, now you are Ping _Pong_ Qi."

"That so racist." She complained.

"And calling a big black man, 'Tiny,' isn't?"

"No, it only racist when you do it to me." She replied with a smile.

"Why don't you two get a room," Piere complained.

"You're just jealous because throwing your soldiers under the bus doesn't score points with the brass." Tom quipped.

"Throw him under the bus? Are you kidding me? John Wayne ignored orders, ignored his surroundings, ignored common sense, he's lucky to even be alive. What he did was not only stupid, it was selfish. He's the medic, it's not his job to save screaming damels, he needs to take care of the team."

"So do you, Loki. Something you seem to forget."

"First of all, don't call me Loki. You know I hate that. Second of all, I saved that stupid American's life. You can't take more care of your soldiers that that."

Tom just shook his head. "You don't get it, and I'm not the one to explain it to you."

* * *

 **Date: 23 March, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM-CENTRAL, Rader Center**

The month had been both slow, and exciting, the tech mused as he assumed his watch station. The two should be mutually exclusive, but this past month didn't bear that out. He wasn't sure what to hope for, but he didn't have much time to deliberate with the watch captain. No sooner did he man his station, then the blip showed up. He dubbed the contact UFO-12 and the ALERT-5 was launched.

The FIRESTORM was in the air and on target just a few minutes later.

 _"CONTROL, FIRESTORM-1, I have visual. Looks like a large scout…it's the plus sign alright. Going hot on Plasma. Fox-5!"_

The Plasma Beam weapons were recently installed on the FIRESTORM. They had done a live fire weapons test, and passed, but this would be their first combat test. The pilot pulled the trigger and two large plasma bolts shot out, hitting the UFO. The UFO wobbled a little, and then shot out ahead.

"Firestorm-1, this is control. UFO-12 moving out of range, pursue and splash, over."

 _"No problem, I got this."_ The pilot hit the controls and the FIRESTORM accelerated, outpacing the UFO.

 _"Fox-5!"_ When he was in range, he fired again, these two hits caused the UFO to crash. _"Splash Uniform One Two. Marking position, Romeo Tango Bravo. Out."_

"The FIRESTORM performed above expectations in its second engagement. The Plasma Beam weapons also worked exceptionally well." The Commander said.

It startled the tech. He hadn't realized the Commander was standing there. "Uh, sorry, sir."

"It's ok, carry on. Good work everyone. Beta Team is up, no?"

"Yessir. They're gearing up now."

* * *

 **Date: 23 March, 1999  
** **Location: UFO-12 Crash Site, Lawszowa, Poland**

The Skyranger landed in a small field. There was a farmhouse on one side and a barn on the other. The ramp lowered and the HWP descended. It immediately came under fire from above. A few shots rendered its servos inoperative. The HWP was out of action.

Sergeant Mohammed scanned the area and found the assailant. "Floater, two o'clock, thirty degrees!"

Captain Borisovich dropped to her knee, aimed and fired. She hit the Floater, causing it to hit the ground with a crash. "Thanks, Mo'. Take your squad east. Zeta squad you head west. First to find the UFO gets a free dinner."

Sergeant Ahmed "Mo" Mohammed took his squad east as ordered and came under fire from the second story of the barn. They were exposed in the open, so each of them took a knee. The combined fire was enough to take out a portion of the wall that the floater was using for cover. Mo took aim and killed the Floater.

He looked around for another moment, and then when satisfied gave the order. "Move out." The squad rushed to the barn and Mo split his team. "Jones boys, take the second level. Thomkins, you're with me."

Mo and Private Lisa Thomkins searched the bottom level of the barn, but it was clear. When the go the all clear from Corporals Steven and Charles Jones, they went out the back. They spotted the UFO and Mo motioned for his squad to take a knee. They scanned the area but didn't see any aliens.

"Beta-1, this is Gamma-1, we found the target."

 _"_ _Roger, establish a perimeter, enroute."_

Captain Borisovish and Sergeant "Doc" Tanaka arrived just as Gamma Squad was set up. She stood to the side and opened the entryway. She motioned to Mo and then entered, with Mo right behind her. Two of the squad members followed suit. The "Jones boys" stood guard outside. Doc followed the Captain and Thomkins followed the Sergeant.

"Sergeant you go to the right. Doc and I will take the small room to the left and meet you on the bridge."

The Captain took position on one side of the door and the medic, Doc, took position on the other side. The medic opened the door and the Captain entered, her Heavy Plasma at the ready. The room was empty, so the pair took up position near the door leading to the bridge. Before they opened it, they heard an explosion. The Captain opened the door and saw the bodies of Sergeant Mohammed and Private Thomkins, as well as a Floater.

A wave of cold washed over them as they entered the room. The Captain scanned the area while the medic went to check on the soldiers.

"They are very cold, but they have a pulse. It's low, but steady. They are alive and appear uninjured, just unconscious." He reported.

The Captain lowered her weapon and bent over the body of Sergeant Mohammed to see for herself.

"Captain! Look out!" Sergeant Tanaka cried and he shoved her out of the way of an incoming plasma bolt. He was rewarded by being grazed by the plasma bolt himself. He managed to return fire and kill the Floater who fired on his Captain.

There was one more Floater, carrying a weapon they had never seen before. Captain Borisovich leveled her weapon at it and fired, killing the Floater with one shot. She turned to the medic, "You ok, Doc?"

"Yes, armor too the hit."

"Good, see if you can revived these two, I'll make sure there are no more surprises."

Doc nodded and Vera scanned the bridge and then searched what they assumed was the engine room. The power source was completely destroyed, but there were no more live aliens lurking about.

She followed up with Doc on his patients. Sergeant Tanaka managed to revive them, but they were both still groggy. She then got on the radio. "UFO Secure. Squads report."

 _"_ _External UFO secure,"_ one of the Jones' said.

 _"_ _Farmhouse Secure,"_ Sergeant Nagura reported.

"Copy, All units report to the Skyranger. Break. Control, this is Beta-1, Area secure. Four alien corpses, and one live one. One weird artifact. No KIA, one injury and two more who will need medical attention when we return. Area clear for salvage team. Out."

* * *

 **Date: 23 March, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM-CENTRAL, Briefing Room**

Major Smith was debriefing the team from their most recent mission. Like her predecessors, she kept things informal, sitting on the edge of the stage. Beta team was sitting in the first two rows. A few members of Alpha team were sitting behind them.

"Alright, Captain, break it down for me."

"Yes, Major. HWP went down the ramp first, and it was a good thing. A Floater was waiting for us. Took it out first thing. Fortunately, that gave us warning. I was able to drop the Floater before anyone else got hurt. After that Gamma Squad went east and Zeta squad went west. I'll turn it over to them and then wrap things up." The Captain nodded towards Mo, who stood up and took over.

"Ma'am. We came under fire from the upper level of the Barn that was on the property. We took the wall out, exposing the Floater and I managed to take it out. We broke up and searched the rest of the barn, but it was clear. We exited out the back and found the crashed UFO. We took position there and waited for the Captain. Once she arrived, we entered the UFO. The entryway was clear, and the bridge appeared to be, but I don't remember much after Private Thompkins and I entered. The Captain will have to fill you in on that part."

The Major nodded. "Thank you, Mo. Nagura?"

The Sergeant stood up. "We investigated the farmhouse. It was deserted. We also investigated the treeline, but there were no hostiles. We never made contact with the enemy."

Captain Borisovich stood to wrap things up. "Doc and I met Gamma squad at the UFO. We entered with them. Private Jones and Private Jones stood watch outside, while we breeched the entryway. Mo and Thompkins went to the right, directly into the bridge. We went to the left, through the auxiliary room."

"We heard an explosion and went in. We found the sergeant, the private and a Floater lying on the deck. They were unconscious. We came under fire from the engine room. Doc pushed me out to the way and was hit himself. He's getting checked out now. He took out his attacker and I took out another that was holding that strange weapon. After that, Doc revived the sergeant and the private, Nagura checked in and I made my report."

"Thank you, Captain, and Sergeants. That was good work out there. You brought everyone home alive, first time that's happened in over a month. Be proud of your accomplishment, but don't get cocky or proud. That weapon you brought back, you said you heard an explosion and they were unconscious?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Interesting. The smart guys in white coats will have to take a look, but it could be a stun weapon that gets launched. Might help us out. Hell, it already has. Good job on bringing back the live one, Captain."

"Well, Ma'am. The Floaters took out one of their own, we just reaped the spoils."

"Still, it was good work and good thinking to leave it alive. Our scientist will interview it when they get the opportunity. Again, good work, go get cleaned up. Dismissed."


	9. Chapter 9 - REORGANIZATION

**AUTHOR NOTE** : Ok, at this point, I think we're back to where we were as far as chapter numbering goes. Thank you for bearing with me while I re-organized things. I cleaned up a lot of the formatting, but if anyone still sees any issues, please let me know. Also, I am still trying to figure out how to post a roster, so if someone knows a way to do that with a table format, please let me know. Thanks!

* * *

 **Date: 28 March, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM-CENTRAL, Alien Containment**

There was a whole panel of scientists in the room. They now had a little bit of experience talking to the aliens, but still were unsure how to begin.

The team lead, who was there for the previous "interview" got up and approached the canister. "You are not alone. Are you hurt?"

The Floater replied in a deep, guttural voice. "I am undamaged."

"Good, I'm happy to hear that. So are you a medic or a scientist?"

"Neither. Most of my caste are one of those. I have the honor of being a Navigator." It said with pride, well, if the alien expression on the alien creature could be interpreted as pride.

"That is good. Your navigation equipment is fascinating. We were able to figure out how to use it in our own craft."

"Impossible. You do not have the interface."

"We made our own interface. We figured out how to use our own controls with your navigation systems."

"Then you haven't truly figured out how to use it. You think you are smart in adapting our technology, but you cannot truly understand the haptic interface or hyperwave controls."

"Hyperwave controls? Do you mean this thing here?" The scientists moved aside a white cloth and picked up a box made from the alien alloy. So what is it? Some kind of RADAR?"

If it were possible for a Floater to look offended, their captive mastered it. "Nothing so primitive!" It spat. "Hyperwaves are used for location, communication, navigation, all with an accuracy that is unmatched by your primit-" It grabbed its head and screamed in pain, collapsing to the ground.

"Damnit! Again?" The scientist turned to his colleages. "We need to get this to Doctor Albright right way, if this is what it claimed, it could give us a major advantage!"

 **XCOM-CENTRAL, Commander's Office, One Hour Later**

Dr. Albright was sitting at the table, opposite Commander Jimenez and Colonel Lancer. Her team had finalized the design for the new armor and she was briefing the two of them on its capabilities.

"Good morning, Doctor, what have you got for us?" The Commander asked.

"Commander. My team and I have finished work on the design for the Mark 1 Power Suit, but first, some 'breaking news' if you will?"

"Absolutely, go ahead Doctor."

"We interviewed the most recent captive. It died early on, just like the other. However, just like the others, it gave us some pretty important information." She paused, as if expecting a response.

The Commander just looked at her expectantly, so she continued. "There was a module in the UFO Navigation that seemed a little out of place. The captive we had was a Floater Navigator, so it told us what it is and what it's used for. Apparently, it is a Hyperwave Controller. The aliens use these Hyperwaves for communication, location and navigation. If we can crack the code, that would give us a significant advantage."

That caught the Commander's attention. "Wow, absolutely. Figure out how to 'crack the code' as it were, and how we can use that information."

"Of course Commander. As for the Power Suit," she said, switching gears, "It is a fully armored exoskeleton, with motion assist. It provides twice the protection as the Personal Armor, protection from smoke, poison, even fire. It will allow any soldier to carry a full combat load, regardless of strength or conditioning."

"Wait, so anyone can carry a Heavy Plasma?" The Colonel asked.

"Yes, ma'am. The Power Suit not only assists motion it augments carrying capacity."

"When you say 'assists motion,' what do you mean exactly?" The Commander inquired.

"The suit is very heavy. It needed to be in order to meet the armor requirements, and also the internal cooling requirements, so it has servos to assist in the full range of motion of all the soldier's limbs."

Colonel Lancer noticed the look on the Commander's face, but it was fleeting and he was all business. "This all sounds too good to be true, Doctor Albright," he began. "What are the downsides?"

"The downside, Commander, is that in order to…well…power, the suit, we need Elerium."

"Ah, so how much is needed?" The Commander was a little more wary now. They could not reproduce Elerium and had to rely on what little they recovered from the UFOs. The Battleships, had plenty, but the scouts they encountered had very little…none if the power source was destroyed on impact.

"Well, in order to manufacture one Power Suit, we'll need as much Elerium as it takes to fully fuel a Firestorm."

"And how much to continue operating it?"

"We shouldn't need any more once the suit is manufactured."

"So, a fully enclosed, inter-cooled, heavily armored exoskeleton, which increase the carrying capacity and allow all our soldiers to use Heavy Plasmas, but it costs one trip with the Firestorm to produce. Does that about sum things up?"

"Yes, Colonel. I would add that these suits will allow our soldiers to survive a direct hit from the Plasma Rifles and glancing blow from Heavy Plasmas." The Doctor replied.

"Thank you, doctor," the Commander began. "These Power Suits have the potential to be a real game changer. We'll have to be careful about how we manufacture and implement them, but they will go a long way to increasing survivability. What else have you got for us?"

Doctor Albright nodded and then answered. "We're looking at a potential upgrade to the HWP. With the heavier weaponry the aliens are bringing, the current ones don't last very long in the field. I'd like to begin researching the Advanced Combat Hovering Observer."

Colonel Lancers laughed. "The 'acho'? Seriously? God bless you!"

The Commander shook his head. "Michelle…"

"Sorry, sir." She snickered a little more and then forced herself to stop.

The Commander continued. "She does have a point though, Dr. Why not simply call it a 'hover tank'? Much easier, no?"

It was all Doctor Albright could do, to _not_ roll her eyes. "Very well. The Hover Tank Plasma, will be an upgrade to the existing HWP, if we can get our permission to begin research."

"That's a great project to take up, Dr. First, I'd like you and your team to work on the Hyperwave Decoder. Then you can begin research on the-"

Colonel Lancer let out a fake sneeze.

"Nurse…"

The Colonel smiled, and this time Dr. Albright did roll her eyes.

"Then you can begin the Hovertank Plasma."

"Thank you, Commander. If you'll excuse me?"

"One more thing, Dr. I realize it takes a certain level of patience to deal with a pair of ground-pounders. I appreciate your restraint."

Doctor Albright cocked her head slightly, let out a wry smile and left his office.

When the door closed, Miguel turned to Michelle. "¡Salud!" he said sarcastically.

Michelle laughed some more and then turned serious. "These Power Suits will help us immensely." She said. "How will we make them all? Do we make Power Suits? FIRESTORMs? Plasma Beams? What order? What's first?"

"Both," The Commander replied. "We need to do both. We need to manufacture both and both are the highest priority."

"So what do we do?" Nurse asked.

"Long term. We'll need to expand our manufacturing capabilities. We'll need another workshop and a lot more Engineers. Make it happen, Nurse." He said with a wink.

The Colonel Smiled. "And short term?"

"We'll have to make enough Power suits for one complete team. Protecting our soldiers is our TOP top priority. Then we'll make a FIRESTORM for our AUSSIE base, then back to Power Suits." The Commander pressed his palms to his forehead and then looked back at Michelle. "This is tough. Competing priorities, limited resources, a far superior foe."

"You're doing fine, Jefe." Michelle said. "They chose you for a reason."

"Yeah, because I was here." He sighed. "I'm a grunt and a street rat-"

"And now you are the Commander of Earth's last hope."

"As if I didn't have enough pressure." He lamented.

"You're doing just fine, Miguel. And I'm here to help, you know that."

He looked at her and smiled. "I know. Thank you."

* * *

 **Date: 30 March, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM-CENTRAL, Armory**

All of the soldiers, including the Commander and Colonel Lancer were assembled in the Armory to learn about the prototype Power Suit. One of the engineers, Paul Harrison, also a PhD, was demonstrating the suit. "Commander, would you please assist me?"

The Commander was wary, but he went forward and Dr. Harrison, along with some of his team, helped the Commander into the Armor, minus the helmet. "Ok, Commander, move your arms, carefully."

The Commander raised one arm, then the other. Then he moved the arm out to the side, then the other. Then he moved both arms out front and then back to his side.

"How does it feel?"

"It feels amazing! Full range of motion, no impedance."

"Good. Good. Now, would you please lift this block?"

"Remember, sir, lift with your legs, not your back," Nurse said, to a few chuckles.

With a wry look, the Commander half squatted, half bent over and picked up the metal block.

"That block is re-enforced concrete with an alien alloy lining. Commander, please drop it."

The Commander gave the engineer a puzzled look, but the engineer nodded and the Commander complied. He dropped the block, which hit the floor at an angle. It hit with a loud _thunk_ and the corner of the block took a chunk out of the concrete floor.

"That block weighed over two hundred pounds. See how easily the Commander lifted it with the aid of the Power Suit? Each of you will be able to carry and wield a Heavy Plasma with minimal effort." Dr. Harrison turned back to the Commander. "Sir, please take a few steps."

Commander Jimenez gingerly took his first step, then another. He instinctively went for his cane, but quickly realized he could walk without it. He took a small hop, and walked a few more steps, without the slightest limp noticeable. "Dr. Harrison, remind me to put you in for a raise, this thing is amazing!"

The Engineer beamed with pride. "That's not all, sir. Here, put this on."

The team of engineers helped the Commander don and secure the helmet for the armor. The Chief Engineer moved over to the table and flipped a switch on the box.

"Commander, can you hear me?"

 _"_ _Yes, loud and clear,"_ the Commander's voice came through a speaker.

"Good. We incorporated an acoustically actuated microphone and headphones into the helmet, so you can talk to your teammates like normal, without any extra gear. Now, look at the top right of your face screen. Tell me what you see."

 _"_ _I see a bunch of yellow dots and a layout of our base."_

"Good. All the Power Suits will be connected via radio, so that you will not only see each other, but each member of the team will see the location of any and all hostiles that have been spotted by anyone else on the team. On the top left you should see suit status and soldier status. Now, standby, sir."

Dr. Harrison motioned to one of the engineers who flipped a switch, turning off all the lights in the Armory.

"Commander, tell me what you see now."

 _"_ _Everything went monochromatic, different shades of green. Did you incorporate night vision into these suits?"_

"Very astute, Commander. Yes we did. Each helmet has night vision integrated in the visual receptors. This will greatly help the solders in darker environments."

 _"_ _Very good work, Doctor. How long until we have enough for a complete team?"_

"It will take us about a week to manufacture enough for a complete team. I'll have the engineers start straight away."

The engineers helped the Commander get out of his suit, and the soldiers looked over it like children in a candy store. The Commander was pleased. With the Power Suit and the Heavy Plasma, they would finally level the playing field.

* * *

 **Date: 31 March, 1999  
** **Location: United Nations, Office of XCOM Funding, Geneva**

The Council of Funding Nations had just adjourned to discuss XCOM's prior month of operating. The reaction from the council was mixed. The American Ambassador was pleased by XCOM's response overall, but questioned some of their decisions.

"I think we have been more than patient, but the Aliens appear to be targeting us. We need to know why they delayed their last response. We must also have the Commander open a base in our Country. We have the perfect location, already buried deep inside Cheyenne Mountain."

Some of the councilors nodded. Cheyenne Mountain was one of the possibilities for the initial XCOM base, but it was decided to use a NATO base in Europe instead.

The Chinese Ambassador was particularly displeased, "Far be it for me to agree with the Americans, but XCOM has been very slow in their response. Many of my people have gone missing and XCOM did nothing. We must hold them accountable."

"Ambassador Ling," The German Ambassador began, "XCOM has destroyed another Alien Base. Fought off an assault on their own base and still managed to down and capture UFOs. Not to mention the sheer amount of research they completed."

His European counterparts nodded in agreement. The rest of the council was taking a wait and see approach, remaining neutral until the Commander called in and briefed them on what XCOM had accomplished the prior month.

There was some idle chit chat in a few small pockets around the room for a few minutes until they received word that the Commander of XCOM was on the line and waiting for them. The American called everyone back to their seats and opened the line.

"Good evening, Commander, thank you for joining us," She began. "Please begin with your progress report."

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Good evening. I know you are all diplomats, but I am a soldier, so I must beg your forgiveness if my report is too blunt. March was a difficult month. The aliens have attacked our main base and terrorized our citizens. We've managed to thwart them, but at great cost. We lost a lot of soldiers, and some of our more experienced ones."

"Commander," The Spanish Ambassador asked, "Toward that end, what are you doing to ensure your soldiers, our soldiers, survive the missions you send them on."

"Mr. Ambassador, two months ago, I began to severely ramp up our scientific research capabilities. Those efforts are now bearing fruit. We have reverse engineered some of the alien weaponry and trained our soldiers how to use it. We have reverse engineered the UFOs that we salvage and found ways to better protect our soldiers."

"Yes, the Mark 1 Personal Armor," The Chinese Ambassador stated, "We are aware of this already."

"Yessir, but what you are not aware of is a recent breakthrough we've had. Our scientists have just developed a Power Suit. It is an armored exoskeleton that provides twice the level of protection as the Personal Armor. It is fully enclosed and provides motional assistance and support, allowing any of the soldiers to carry the heaviest alien weaponry."

"Very impressive. When will this be deployed?" The Chinese Ambassador asked.

"Units are already in production. We should outfit our first team in a week."

"A week? That seems like a long time for just one team." The Russian Ambassador observed.

"Our recent focus has been on research," the commander replied. "Now that the research is bearing fruit, I have already begun to increase our manufacturing capabilities. We are constructing a new workshop, as well as living quarters to house the new engineers."

"Speaking of facilities," The American Ambassador interjected, "We need to discuss your next base, and I have the perfect location in mind. Commander, you are not aware of this, but before XCOM was started, one of the possibilities of your base was out our Cheyenne Mountain facility. Are you familiar with it?"

"Just from what I've heard or read from open source material."

"Well, I think with minimal effort, that base would be perfect for XCOM."

"With respect, Ambassador, I'm not sure I agree."

"Now hold on Commander, we've all be very patient with you, and you've seen how the aliens are targeting the United States. I won't even mention your delayed response to San Diego." The Ambassador was starting to get angry, but the Commander was quick to calm her down.

"Madam Ambassador, I agree that it would benefit all parties to establish a new base of operations in the United States, and pending finances, I would be happy to oblige, but your Cheyenne Mountain facility is not the right location."

"Explain," the Ambassador demanded, warily.

"We've been attacked in our base twice now, by the Aliens. They send their shock troops against us, they are smart at tactics, and have caused us to re-assess our base layout and operations. In order to convert your mountain complex, we would have to install multiple ingress points which would be difficult to secure against the alien weaponry. Furthermore, the muli-level nature of the base would make coordination, defense and mop up operations a nightmare. Ambassador, if we are to establish a permanent presence in the United States, we need to build a base from scratch."

The conviction and passion the Commander spoke with took all the Ambassadors by surprise. The American in particular. It took her a moment to gather herself and compose her response. "What do you propose, Commander?"

"As I mentioned, we start from scratch. Build the accessway with a hangar on one side, general stores on the other side. Then we connect the living quarters and a small radar system to the general stores. That is the minimum we need to operate the base. We can expand from there."

"Where would you do this? And how long would it take?" The American found it hard to argue with his logic and surprised both the Commander and the Council.

The Commander was confident in his response. "First, the time, it will take about three and a half weeks to get the minimum operating base up and running. From there, we build another hangar and larger radar facility, although, by then we hope to have the hyperwaves cracked. But that's another story. As to where, the location would have to be remote, somewhere we could do the heavy construction with minimal interference and observations."

The American Ambassador went from the verge of an angry outburst to outright impressed by the Commander. She had the perfect location in mind. "Commander, I think our Groom Lake facility would be perfect. We have a base nearby, so that would provide perfect cover to any construction. We monitor the entire area very closely to ward of unauthorized observers, and with our base nearby, we can provide whatever support is needed while you are bringing the base online."

"That sounds like the perfect location, Madam Ambassador," The Commander replied. "It just comes down to a question of funding."

The American Ambassador actually laughed. "Rest assured, Commander, that if you agree to start work immediately, we will provide for a substantial increase in your funding."

"Well, Madam Ambassador, in that case, I agree." The Commander replied.

"Good, now that we have that out of the way, you can tell use more about the research you have accomplished. I believe you just mentioned 'hyperwaves.' What are those?"

"On our last recovery mission, a large scout, we captured a live Floater. Specifically, a Floater Navigator. During its, umm, interview, our scientists learned about Hyperwaves. I will forward you the full report once our scientists have cracked the code, but I'm told that the aliens use hyperwaves for navigation, location and communication. If we can crack the code and interface things with our detection systems, we can know not only the location of every UFO in our radius, but its mission and crew compliment as well."

"That sounds too good to be true, Commander, what's the catch?" The Chinese Ambassador asked.

"Sir, to be honest, I'm not really sure there is one in this case. As with all new technologies, I'm sure it will be expensive, but I believe well worth it. Without trying to sound like I'm over selling it, this could help us detect every UFO the Aliens send our way."

"Please be sure to keep us posted on this development. I'm very interested to see how it plays out." The Chinese Ambassador pressed.

"Of course, Ambassador." The Commander replied.

"Thank you, Commander," The American Ambassador was dismissing him from the meeting, "For your report and your continued cooperation. Please send us the information on your Hyperwave Decoder when it's available. You'll be informed of our decision when we adjourn."

 **XCOM Central, Commander's Office, Immediately Following**

"Well, that could have gone worse," Colonel Lancer started.

Miguel put his face in his hands, inhaled deeply and looked back up. "I was kinda hoping they fire me, you know?" He said, then he smiled. "Maybe I demote myself to private…make you commander instead."

"Don't even think about it, Jefe." Michelle shot back. "I'm a nurse, not a commander."

Commander Jimenez laughed at that remark. "Well, I guess I'm stuck then. It looks like we need to come up with a 'Hyperwave Decoder' to appease the Chinese now."

"Dr. Albright's gonna love that." Michelle quipped.

* * *

 **Date: 1 April, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM-CENTRAL, Commander's Office**

The next morning, the Commander, Colonel Lancer and Major Smith were sitting at the table in his office. There was coffee and some pastries on the table, which made the Major suspicious. "You wanted to see me, sir?"

"Yes, Felicity. You've heard the expression 'no good deed goes unpunished,' no? Well, your performance has been phenomenal."

"So what's my punishment?"

"You're being promoted to Colonel and being given command of our new base in the United States."

"Damnit, sir. Why not Big Lori?"

"Oh, she doesn't deserve punishment nearly as much as you do," Colonel Lancer chimed in.

"The decision was actually a tough one, but in the end, you won out." The Commander said. "We're not giving you a base full of rookies. In fact, you can pick your own deputy, team lead and squad leads. Promote whoever you want. Give the names to Michelle and Jaques and they will both provide their complete cooperation."

The Commander paused, and Michelle nodded.

"It will take a few weeks for things to be up and running, but start looking at who you want now and we'll set them aside. We're still recruiting too, so you can have your pick of the rookies. Put them through their paces and select who you want. America is being targeted for some reason and we need to stop it."

"Thank you, Sir. I would like Lori to be my deputy. She can share my pain," Felicity said with a half-smile. "We'll not only respond to the threats but actively patrol and try to prevent them where we can."

"Good, I knew I made the right choice," The Commander said. "We'll send you with a set of Personal Armor for each soldier and a mix of Heavy Plasma and Plasma Rifles, see who works best with each and assign them accordingly. My aim, if you'll pardon the pun, is to have you a Firestorm interceptor by the time your first hangar is finished. You'll be limited to interceptions at first, but once the second hangar is built, you'll have your own transport to recover what you shoot down."

"Thank you, sir. I have a few other suggestions as to who I'd like to bring."

"Good. Like I said, talk to Michelle and Jaques and work out the details with them. We'll do everything we can to get you set up right. Maybe spend a week in AUSSIE and talk to Jaques about his pitfalls and how he overcame them."

"Good idea, Commander, when do you want me to leave?" Felicity asked.

"Next day or two should be fine. Take Big Lori with you, she can work with Icequeen down there as well."

"Sounds good. I do have a few more concerns, if I may, sir."

"By all means," the Commander replied. "Go ahead."

She didn't get a chance. Just then, the alarm klaxons sounded throughout the base.

The Commander went to his desk and hit a button, "This is the Commander, what's going on?"

 _"_ _Battleship incoming, sir. It's moving fast and heading straight for us."_

"Very well, you know the drill at this point. Get non-essentials out ASAP. I'll organize our soldiers here."

He hit a button ending the comm, then turned to his two Colonels. "Colonel Lancer, go to the Armory, organize our squads. Layered defense, be wary of their first grenades. Colonel Smith, you're with me."

Michelle nodded and left. Felicity then followed the Commander out of his office.

 **XCOM-CENTRAL Radar Center, Twenty minutes later**

"What have we got?" The Commander asked.

"Sir, all non-essential personnel have been evacuated from the base. Alpha and Beta teams are stood up. Alpha Team is by the accessway, while Beta Team is holding back in reserve. UFO is less than ten minutes out." The tech replied.

"Great, patch me through," the Commander orderd. He got a nod from the tech and continued. "All hands, this is the Commander. I don't need to remind you of the stakes of the outcome. I also don't need to remind you that the Aliens have tried to destroy us before and failed each time. I expect this time will be no different. You all are better soldiers than the best shock troops the aliens can send against us. I have no doubt you will prevail. Good luck."

 ** _Alpha Team – Just south of the Accessway_**

Captain Spiel had his team lined up. Three members of Gamma Squad were kneeling in the passageway before him. He was standing up with two members of Zeta squad on either side, one each next to him and one more on each side using the wall corner as cover. Their weapons were primed, and they were ready.

After the Commander's rousing speech, the Captain decided to give one of his own. "It's been said throughout history, 'don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes.' We have seen how powerful enemy is and I know it takes courage to wait. I also know that each and every one of you possess that courage. The enemy will come through those gates. Line up your shots and make each one count. The aliens. Will. Fall!"

Both the Commander and the Captain bolstered the morale of their troops. This proved effective just a few minutes later, when, without warning, the entire accessway erupted in a fierce explosion. All the doors were blown out, as well as one of the support columns.

When the dust settled, the soldiers could see five Snakemen and opened fire. Like the Captain had encouraged them, they waited, albeit briefly, and lined up their shots. Three of the Snakemen were killed in the first volley.

The Snakemen opened fire was well, though they were not as careful with their shots. Only two connected, one of which was absorbed by the Personal Armor of Sergeant Boot. The other struck and killed Private Carla Palm, one of the kneeling soldiers. Private Michael Stinsen was quick to fill her place and managed to kill both of the remaining Snakemen from the initial volley.

"Zeta Squad, move forward! Gamma Squad, cover them!"

Sergeant Wiesse and his squad came from behind and took over behind the walls going into the hangar and the still-standing supports in the accessway.

"Watch out! It's got a launcher!" Corporal Kora Vasquez called out.

All eyes in the squad turned towards the Snakeman with the blaster launcher. The alien raised the launcher as if to fire, but was quickly gunned down by Private Loman Duran.

"Nice shot, Duran!" The Sergeant called out. "Everyone scan the hangar, take out any remaining hostiles!"

A dark, shadowy creature emerged from the poorly lit corner of the hangar and rushed to accessway. "Cryssalid!" Corporal Anatoli called out.

The entire squad levelled their weapons and let loose a stream of withering plasma fire. The Cryssalid went down with an eerie, unearthly scream.

"Everyone be aware, there may be another one in the hangar. Keep your eyes peeled." Sergeant Wiesse cautioned. He was just about to give the all clear for the central hangar when two Snakemen came around the corner, from the West hangar. He let loose a three round burst and dropped one of them. Corporal Vasquez managed to kill the other one.

"Finally. Alpha-1, this is Gamma Lead, Central Hangar is clear."

 _"Roger, standby."_

 ** _Radar Center – Command and Control_**

 _"Control, this is Alpha-1. Central Hangar is clear. Zeta Squad on point. Be advised they had one Cryssalid, and there may be another."_

"This is Control, Roger, break. Send Zeta Squad over to the East Hanger and Gamma Squad to the West Hangar. Proceed with extreme caution. Keep an eye out for more Cryssalids. Break. Beta Team, have your squads take up position where Alpha Team was at the beginning of the engagement."

 _"Alpha-1, Aye."_

 _"Beta-1, Aye."_

"Things seem to be going well, sir." One of the techs observed.

"It's not over yet," the Commander mused, "And Private Palm might disagree with that assessment, but compared to prior engagements, yes. Let's hope that continues to hold true."

 ** _Alpha Team, Zeta Squad – Central Hangar_**

 _"Zeta Squad, this is Alpha-1, proceed to the East Hangar, investigate and eliminate any hostiles. Proceed with caution."_

"This is Zeta Lead, roger, out." Wiesse replied and then ordered his team forward. They got about halfway across the hangar when they heard a plasma blast. Two bolts passed overhead, and then Corporal Anatoli fell forward. The rest of the team turned and dropped to their knees, but could not see their attacker.

Sergeant Wiesse fired a three round burst into the West Hangar, while Gamma Squad got into position around the entrance. It was a dangerous move, with friendlies near the line of fire, but the Sergeant deemed the benefits of suppression worth the risk. Once he saw Gamma Squad was in position and ready to re-take the West Hangar, he called for a medic.

Corporal Tellichi was there in less than a minute. She gave Corporal Anatoli the once over. "I think I can stabilize him, but he's going to need surgery if he's to survive." She broke out her medkit and went to work, administering what treatment she could. She did manage to get him stabilized, but he was still in pretty rough shape. "That's all I can do here, we need to get him to sick bay."

"Kora, help Lisa out," Wiesse ordered.

Corporal Vasquez nodded and helped Corporal Tellichi wordless and gently raise Corporal Anatoli and brought him to the base sickbay.

"Loman, you're with me," Wiesse said as he moved to the East Hangar. Private Duran nodded and fell in lock step with his sergeant. They arrived at the entrance to the East Hangar without incident. The hangar was dimly lit, but could hear an unnerving chittering noise. "It's alright Loman, those Cryssalids bleed and die just like everything else."

Just then, source of the chittering emerged from the shadows. The Cryssalid charged the pair. Private Duran fired six rounds at it, hitting it half the time. The Cryssalid halted in its charge, let out an ear-piercing shriek and collapsed. Private Duran fired at it three more times for good measure.

"I think you killed it," Sergeant Wiesse said dryly.

 ** _Alpha Team, Gamma Squad – Central Hangar_**

After radioing his orders to Zeta Squad, Captain Spiel turned to Sergeant Boot to relay his instructions. "Take Gamma Squad and clear out the East Hangar. I'll provide backup if you need it."

Sergeant Boot nodded, then turned to his squad. "Calbred, take the closer entrance, wait for my signal. Stinsen you're with me. Move!" he ordered.

Boot and Stinsen had just passed the closer hangar entrance with three plasma bolts passed through the entrance, they turned and saw a member of Zeta Squad go down and got out of the way when it was clear Sergeant Wiesse was going to fire through the entrance.

"Calbred, take cover here, wait for my signal. Captain, if you wouldn't mind?"

Captain Spiel knew what his sergeant was asking and took position with Corporal Calbred. He then ordered Tellichi to go look after Zeta Squad. He would worry about them later. Right now, he had more pressing concerns.

Sergeant Boot and Private Stinsen were in position just a moment later. Boot looked at his captain and held up his hand. He then counted down with his fingers, 3, 2, 1 and pointed into the hangar. His squad entered the hangar at the same time. Calbred saw the Snakeman that had fired at Zeta squad. The Snakeman turned towards him and let off a three round burst. Calbred managed to get a three round burst of his own off, before being hit in the shoulder. The alien was not so lucky, it went down with a scream.

"Lotis, are you ok?" The Captain asked.

"I'm fine sir, able to keep fighting."

"I don't think so. Head to sickbay and get looked at. We'll mop up."

Corporal Calbred was about to argue, but upon the look he received from the Captain decided it was best to follow orders. He nodded and left.

On the other side of the hangar, the last remaining Snakeman dropped its Heavy Plasma and ran? Slithered? Boot wasn't really sure. Eitherway, it went into a maintenance closet to hide. Sergeant Boot and Private Stinsen went to the door and listened. They could hear it moving in there, but they knew it was unarmed.

"Should we try to capture it?" Private Stinsen asked.

"No, its claws are deadly. You open the door, I'll fire. On my signal. Ready?"

Stinsen nodded. Boot counted down with his fingers and then Stinsen opend the door. Boot killed the Snakeman easily.

 ** _Radar Center – Command and Control_**

 _"Control, this is Alpha-1, final sweep of all hangars complete. All hostiles eliminated. Count is 12 x-rays. We have one KIA and two wounded, both being looked at in medical."_

"This is Control. Roger. Break. All hands, base is clear. I say again, base is clear. Once again we made it known to the Aliens loud and clear that we are not to be trifled with. We will not go down so easily. They are invading our house and we will drive them _back_ to where they came from!"


	10. Chapter 10 - ORIENTATION

**Date: 2 April, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM-CENTRAL, Commander's Office**

The Commander was sitting at his table with his deputy, the senior scientist and the chief engineer. They were all tired, the previous day was a long one, but they had some very important things to discuss.

"Boris Anatoli is in stable but critical condition. He's going to be out of the fight for a while, perhaps the entire month. Lotis Calbred is in better condition, he should be back on the roster in a week. The Peronal Armor has helped, but we really need those Power Suits. Mr. Harrison, how long until we can fit the entire team?"

"If I push my team, we can have the first set complete in three more days."

"How long for another ten?" The Commander asked.

"About a week, until more engineers come in, then we can put them work right away."

"You'll get enough engineers to fill up your workshop in the next day or so. The new workshop should be online in a few weeks, and you'll have more engineers to match. How are our stocks?" The commander was referring to Elerium and the Alien Alloy.

"We salvaged a bunch of each from the recent assault on our base. We have enough for ten more sets of Power Suits and the next Firestorm."

"Ok, good. I want you to build another Firestorm after we send the second one to AUSSIE. If the timing works out, the hangar should be ready in America."

The Engineer nodded.

The Commander turned towards his scientist. "Dr. Albright, how is work coming along on the Hyperwave Decoder?"

"Cracking the code is the easy part," the Doctor replied, "getting it to interface with our existing radar systems is proving a little more difficult."

"Can you 'trick' the system like you did for the Firestorm controls?" The Commander asked.

"We've tried but had no success. We may have to start from the ground up and create an entire room for it. We're studying that option now. Once we have something I will brief you right away."

"Thank you, Doctor. Being able to intercept their communications and locate their UFOs will help us tremendously." The Commander said.

"Will it though?" Colonel Lancer asked. "Sir, forgive me if this is fatalistic, but we're fighting a losing battle on earth. No matter how many times we defend our base, they come back. No matter how many UFOs we shoot down, they send more. We can't just sit and wait for them to attack us, we must take the fight to them."

"I actually agree with her," Dr. Albright said. "The only hope for humanity is fight the aliens at their source. Our research seems to indicate a nearby base of operations inside our solar system. If we can capture one of the high ranking aliens, maybe we can interrogate it and get some more information. Some of the larger UFOs should have an alien leader of some sort."

"Ladies, I agree that it would be nice to take the fight to the aliens, but we're nowhere near equipped to do that. Yes, they have attacked us in our base three times in the first three months we've been operating, and yes, their resources seem unlimited. However, we're just now being able to hold our own. How will we capture an alien leader alive? The aliens we've captured alive so far are by luck. How will be able get to the aliens? A Russian Soyuz? An American Shuttle?" The Commander lamented.

"With respect, Commander," Dr. Alright replied, "that's where we come in. One of the artifacts recovered last month appears to be a stun weapon, launched from a small launcher. What if I delay research on the…" she looked at Michelle "…Hovertank and focused on that first? Then, between the research on the Firestorm and then the Hovertank, we should be able to use the alien's technology for a new troop transport."

The Commander considered her words for a moment. "Ok, Doctor. After you complete your work on the Hyperwave decoder, your next focus will be that stun launcher weapon, then the Hovertank and then a new troop transport."

The Doctor nodded.

"Sometimes it feels like we're a mosquito trying to fight an elephant. With your work so far, Doctor, we may now be at the level of a humming bird. Keep up the good work and we'll soar like an eagle. We'll take down that elephant yet. Thank you all for coming this morning. Dismissed."

They rose as one and everyone but the Commander left his office.

* * *

 **Date: 4 April, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM-CENTRAL, West Hangar**

Major Lori "Big Lori" Littlefield was waiting on the hangar with Colonel Felicity "Ferocity" Smith. They were waiting for the Skyranger, filled with 14 new recruits. Both of them remembered being on the other side, being met by then Captain Miguel Jimenez. A lot had changed in the few short months since then.

The massive hangar doors opened overhead and the Skyranger entered the base, landing right on schedule. The ramp lowered and 14 soldiers disembarked two by two. They were all wearing the same light gray XCOM jumpsuit.

"Welcome to XCOM, privates, I am Colonel Smith and this is Major Littlefield." The Colonel began. "And before you all complain, none of you have been demoted. You will all retain your ranks in your native service branch. Here at XCOM, we do things differently. Here, Rank is based on how you perform out in the field, and here at home, against the alien threat. "

"Easy for you so, you're an officer." One of the new privates quipped.

"Major Littlefield and I both started out as privates, walking down the same Skyranger ramp, in this very hangar. I was previously a Colour Sergeant in Her Majesty's Royal Marines. The Major here was a Staff Sergeant in the British Army. We were promoted based on our actions and experience since we first walked down that ramp. Everything you have done up to now earned you the right to stand there. What you do from this point forward will determine if you are promoted or if you are killed."

Major Littlefield suppressed a smile. She remembered one of her cohorts complaining when they arrived. When the Colonel was finished, she spoke up. "If you all will follow me to the briefing room, we'll present you with our orientation. You would do well to heed the words of the veterans here. Nobody is trying to knock your experience or abilities, we're all trying to keep you alive."

 ** _Base Briefing Room – Five Minutes Later_**

The Commander was up on stage, with his cane, waiting for the new recruits.

Colonel Smith opened the door to the briefing room and allowed the new soldiers to enter, single file. They filled in the first two rows of the center section.

"Commander," Smith announced, "I present you with the soldiers of our soon to be operational American Base."

The Commander nodded and scanned the new recruits, looking at each one of them in the eye. Then he raised his cane, "This is my gift from the aliens, and I'm the lucky one. Eighteen soldiers never came home. You'll all do well to listen to these ladies, and your team or squad leads. They're trying to keep you alive. There is no room for bravado or ego. In our job, bravado and ego are what get you killed. Colonel." He nodded towards her and stepped down, using the cane to help him get down the stairs.

The Commander left the room, closing the door behind him, and the Colonel sat on the stage. "Before we begin, are there any questions?"

One of the new privates raised his arm. The Colonel nodded and he stood. "He seems a little young to be a Commander, or to carry cane, ma'am. I mean no disrespect, but what happened?"

"Commander Jimenez is one of the few remaining troops from the very first encounter with Aliens." The Colonel began. "He watched Private Lornstrom get gunned down, right as he stepped off the skyranger and, in spite of that, took charge. The base commander took note of his abilities and promoted him right after that mission. He was a Captain when I first arrived, took me on my first mission. I watched him get got in the leg, getting knocked off the ramp. I was his medic, actually. He refused more than the basic care, saying to save it for those who really needed it…then with an injured leg, which turned out to be broken, he continued on, led the troops from the front and completed the mission."

"Is that where he got the cane?"

"No," The Colonel replied. "That came a few weeks later, when we found our first alien base. His leg was not fully healed, but he insisted on going on that mission, right up to the point of court martial. The Commander allowed him and the commander's deputy to go. I was on that mission as well. Then Major Jimenez saved the lives of everyone on his squad, but he was shot in the leg…again. That was a difficult mission, we lost some good people, and Miguel Jimenez was permanently removed from the roster. That's when he got the cane. The base commander made Jimenez his deputy, and a week later, our base was attacked. Both Jimenez and the base commander saved a lot of lives that day and we held our ground. The base commander was killed in that attack though and Jimenez was made commander of all of XCOM."

"There's your history on the Commander," Major Littlefield wrapped up. "You'd all do well to treat him with respect. Now, for the history of XCOM itself. Colonel Lancer was a member of the original team, so she'll give you a quick overview of our history. Colonel?"

"Thank you, Major. This organization was started by a group of countries that were concerned about the alleged UFO activity in their respective nations. They gathered together, launched an informal investigation and determined there was something to the reports that should be investigated. That's when they decided to form the Extra-terrestrial Combat Command, commonly known as XCOM."

"Excuse me, ma'am, but how did they know the aliens were hostile?"

"Actually, they didn't. That was quite a heated discussion. It wasn't until our first encounter that we realized their intent was hostile. We sent out an interceptor and it was fired upon as soon as it was in range. The interceptor fired back and downed the UFO. It was mostly intact, so the Commander at the time decided to send out a mission to scout the area."

"Both the Commander and I were on that first mission. We started out as privates, like yourselves. None of us knew what to expect, but things got very real, very quickly when Mike was shot coming right off the Skyranger. Commander Jimenez, Private at the time, took charge. He organized us into squads, gave us direction and took out a few aliens. We succeeded in that mission, in spite of their superior firepower and technology."

"After that first mission, our scientists raced to level the playing field. After every mission we brought back more artifacts and technology for them to research. The priorities were for weapons and armor. That's why we have the Mark 1 Personal Armor and the soon to be deployed Mark 2 Power Suit. It's also why we are now able to wield the aliens own weaponry."

"The main concern, with both Commanders, was protecting the soldiers. We've in in operation just over three months. We've successfully shot down and recovered six UFOs, we've clean up two terror sites, destroyed two alien bases and defended our own base three times against alien assaults. We've lost eighteen soldiers, some rookies like yourselves, but also some experienced soldiers. As a result, we're here to brief you on what to expect. If you're scared afterwards, good. Fear will keep you alive, just don't let it turn into panic, or you'll get your teammates killed. Major Littlefield will brief you on the aliens you'll be facing and the weapons both they, and you, will be using."

The Major moved up to the podium and the screen came on behind her. It displayed the autopsy report of a Sectoid. "This here is a Sectoid. It was the first alien we encountered. They are short, with abnormal proportions, but they are deadly. They serve as scouts, as far as we know. They mainly carry Plasma Pistols and Plasma Rifles. They can be killed with any weapon in our arsenal. They are not very tough, but they are also not to be underestimated."

The screen changed to display the autopsy of a floater. Major Littlefield continued without missing a beat. "This is a Floater. According to our research, they serve as medics and scientists for the alien collective. They are call floaters because of the anti-grav devices that are surgically grafted into their bodies. It allows them to float up in the air. Their favorite tactic is to 'hide' up in the air and fire from above. They are vulnerable to our ballistic weapons, but laser and plasma weapons are much more effective.

The screen changed again, this time displaying the autopsy of a Snakeman. "Next up, the Snakeman. They are primarily terror agents of the aliens. They are accompanied by Cryssalids, which we'll get to shortly. The Snakeman typically carries a Plasma Rifle or Heavy Plasma. They are fierce, but go down easily with Plasma Rifles or Heavy Plasmas. When cornered, they can lash out with powerful claws. Do not underestimate them."

The screen behind her changed to show the autopsy of a Muton. "This is called a 'Muton.' They Mutons are the shock troops of the aliens. They are tough, they are smart, they wield heavy weaponry and are hard to kill with our ballistic weapons. Plasma Pistols do little damage against them. The best thing to take one of these down is a Heavy Plasma. The Mutons are better at tactics then the rest and will move to outflank you, or hide behind cover to ambush you. The look like hulking brutes, but they are also intelligent."

The screen changed to display the autopsy of a Cryssalid. "This is the most potent terror weapon the aliens have. It's called a Cryssalid."

"That's the stuff of nightmares!" One of the soldiers exclaimed.

"The stuff of nightmares?" The Major responded. "The Cryssalids give _them_ nightmares. These things are fast, they're deadly, they're hard to kill and they will use _you_ to reproduce on the battlefield."

There was a shiver around the room, and the Major continued. "We've encountered them twice, once at a terror site and once here in our own base. The Cryssalid will use its sharp claws to puncture its victim, then inject a kind of venom that turns the victim into a zombie. It will then lay an egg which will fully mature in just a few minutes, literally eating the victim from the inside out, before a new Cryssalid hatches in its place. They are vulnerable to explosives, but my advice is to fire everything you have at it the moment you see it. I won't lie, these things are absolutely terrifying, but like everything else, they can be killed. Don't forget that."

She paused for a moment, looking around the room. She received a few nods, but mostly scared looks. Good, she thought. Now they'll pay attention. "Any questions on the aliens themselves?"

"Ma'am, is this all the aliens out there, or just the ones we've encountered?"

"Neither," The Major replied. "These are the main ones we've encountered and studied. There are a few more that we've encountered, but research priorities are such that they have not been studied yet. For example, there is this floating kidney thing that spits acid and a silicoid thing that we don't really know what it does. Also, some of the aliens we've capture have mentioned the 'ethereal ones.' We're not sure what that means, but we suspect it's a race that controls all the other races we've seen."

"Thank you, ma'am."

Major Littlefield nodded. "Any other questions?"

Another soldier raiser her arm. "Ma'am, these 'cryssalid' things. You said they inject a poison that turns someone into a zombie? Is there an antidote for that poison? Any way to cure the civilian or the soldiers?"

"No," Colonel Smith cut in, "and frankly if there was, there would likely not be enough time to administer it or for it to take effect. The best thing you can do is kill the zombie immediately, before a new Cryssalid hatches. I have seen one of these things tear off its human skin like an old cloak. It's something you never forget. You see a zombie, you kill it. Someone near you is turned into a zombie, you kill it. Don't think, just shoot it and kill it." She was so firm and matter of fact, that the audience was even more unsettled.

The Colonel changed her demeanor and her tone. "Ok, enough of the scary shit. Let's take a break. Meet back up in the Armory in an hour."

 ** _Base Armory – One Hour Later_**

"Alright kids, nap-time's over. Now we get to the good stuff," Colonel Smith began. "Major Waser will give you an overview of each of the weapons."

Major Johann Waser was recently promoted to backfill Major Smith. He was in the armory to instruct the rookies on the proper use of the plasma weaponry.

"Thank you, Colonel." Major Waser was holding a Plasma Pistol and wasted no time. "This is a Plasma Pistol. It was the first alien weapon we encountered. It is more powerful than the M-18, Advanced Infantry Weapon. One shot from this cuts through Kevlar like it's nothing at all. Observe."

The Major gripped the weapon and fired a plasma bolt at a dummy 10 meters away. The dummy was "wearing" Kevlar armor and the plasma bolt cut through it, causing a deep, scorched indent in the dummy itself. "Keep in mind, this is the least powerful weapon the aliens have."

"Sir," Private Jenna White asked. "Does that armor have the…umm…extra protection?"

"No need to worry about classified stuff here, Jenna," Major Waser replied. "We've been provided with the best armaments each nation had to offer, and we've made a few of our own since then." The major then walked over to the dummy. "In answer to your question," he pulled a broken piece of the ceramic plate from the middle of the frayed Kevlar and tossed it her way."

Private White caught it and her eyes went wide as she turned the piece over in her hands.

"I told you earlier, Private Michael Lornstrom was first off the Skyranger on that first mission. One shot went straight through his armor, killing him instantly," Colonel Smith said.

"So, how do we survive out there then?" Private Galina Vornin asked.

"Well get to that in a little while," Major Waser replied. "We have developed better armor, but first, we'll go through the rest of our weapons."

Major Waser went into detail on the finer points of the Plasma Pistol and then put the new soldiers through their paces with the weapon, getting each one checked out on it. Once that was done, he did the same thing for the Plasma Rifle. They had more of those on hand, having sold many of the Plasma Pistols they recovered, so it went a little quicker. Finally, they got to the Heavy Plasma.

"Ok, this is the heaviest infantry weapon we've seen, aside from some launchers the guys in white coats haven't figured out yet. It's called the Heavy Plasma." Major Waser was interrupted at this point.

"Excuse me, sir, that's more like a plasma cannon or plasma gatling or something. Why is it called the Heavy Plasma?" Private Mathias Esser asked.

In response, the Major tossed the weapon his way. Private Esser caught it with both arms and was forced back a few steps, bending over the weapon slightly. "Oooff, never mind," he said, as he handed the weapon back to Major Waser. Some of the other soldiers laughed in response, but none of them had any more stupid questions.

"It's a heavy weapon, but it packs quite the punch. Observer." Major Waser leveled the weapon and fired at a concrete block that was sitting on a metal table 10 meters away. The concrete block disintegrated, and the metal table was warped. The soldiers were astonished. "You do not want to be on the business end of this, I tell you that much." The Major observed. He worked with the soldiers to get each of them checked out on the Heavy Plasma, and then he switched gears and started briefing them on the armor.

"This is the Mark 1 Personal Armor." Major Waser pointed to Major Littlefield, who donned the armor for a demonstration. "It is crafted from Alien Alloys. It is light, durable and affords a lot of protection. Except for a glancing shot, it won't keep you from getting wounded, but it can prevent you from being killed. This is our current level of Armor, although, our engineers are working on fabricating something better."

Major Littlefield stepped away and Colonel Smith stepped forward in her Power Suit, much to the amazement of the soldiers. Major Waser smiled. "I present you the latest to come from our scientists and engineers. The Mark 2, Power Suit. It gives twice the protection of the Personal Armor. It is flame resistant, smoke resistant and augments both your motion and your carrying capacity. We only have a few of these, the workshop is cranking them out as fast as they can. Eventually each base will have enough for a complete team."

Colonel Smith removed her helmet. "Thank you Major Waser. Are there any questions on what he covered here today?"

None of the soldiers had any further questions.

"Good take an hour and meet back in the briefing room. Dismissed."

 ** _Base Briefing Room – One Hour Later_**

The soldiers were all in the room, talking in small groups when Colonel Smith walked in. They quickly settled in their seats and quieted down. The Colonel sat on the edge of the stage and addressed them more informally than she had earlier. "Alright, so you've seen what we're up against. You've seen the tools we have at your disposal. You've been familiarized with the base and with our brief history. Any questions on any of it?"

There was silence for a few minutes, before one of them, Private Adam Watson, raised his arm. The Colonel nodded and he stood, "Ma'am, the Cryssalids. Are they really that bad?"

"Short answer: yes. Longer answer, I watched one of those things tear open the human skin from the inside and emerge ready to claim its first victim. That's not something you forget. We're not trying to scare you in some hazing ritual, although the thought had occurred to us," she said to a few chuckles.

"We're trying to give you all the knowledge you need to survive your first mission." She continued. "In all likelihood, some of you won't, and that's not something any of us want. We've lost a lot of good people and we're trying to prevent that. Part of that is researching things like the Power Suit. Part of it is scaring you now, so that when you meet these things in the field, you'll kill them instead of panicking."

"Speaking the field ma'am, when are we going to get assigned to teams? It looks like there are a lot of soldiers around here already," Private Patrick Bailey asked.

"You all will get out into the field pretty quickly. As far as the roster goes. Some of you will be coming with Major Smith and I to the new base we're opening up in the United States. Some of you will be assigned to teams here, and some of you will be send to our base in Australia. Currently, we operate in teams of ten. Each team has a lead, a medic and two squads. There are two teams here and two in Australia. When the U.S. base first comes online, we'll have one team. As the base expands, we'll start up a second team."

"Thank you, ma'am. When will we know?"

"Depends on the aliens," The Colonel quipped. "I want to see each of you in action. Once I have, I'll decide who to bring with me. I'll probably poach a few veterans from here, so some of you will backfill them and some of you will be in a reserve status. The rest of you will be sent to Australia. Other questions?"

"Ma'am," Private Jane Watson started. "Why America? Not that I wouldn't mind being on my home turf, but why are we opening a base there?"

"It's based on the amount of alien activity. At first, it was decided to start the project at this site, because we could provide coverage to the most countries. After our first month, the Australians were displeased. They had a tremendous amount of activity and no response from, so we started a base there to deal with their country and the Pacific region. Turned out, the aliens built a base in their country, which we only found by scouting the area for ourselves."

"Sounds like that worked out well." The Private observed."

"It was very fortuitous," the Colonel agreed. "As for the U.S., lately, there has been a lot of activity there, specifically terror attacks by the aliens. It was decided to start our next base there, in order to quicken our response time to the alien attacks, and save more lives. That base is currently undergoing construction. We'll move in once the living quarters, hangar and radar centers are finished an operational."

Private Ivan Korkia raised his arm. The Colonel nodded and he stood, "Ma'am, are there any…well…live aliens on this base?"

That question caused quite a stir. Some of the soldiers thought it was off color. Some of them though it was gross. Some of them found it slightly humorous.

Colonel Smith let them blow off a little steam before answering. "We do not have any live aliens at this time. We have managed to capture a few, but that was purely by luck. Two of them were unconscious when we found them. One of them knocked its head against a table. They do not last very long. Each of them have died partway through their interviews, usually in the middle of an important piece of information. So no, we do not have any live aliens here, but yes, we have in the past. However, they don't live very long once they're put in containment and interviewed by our scientitsts."

"Are there any more questions?" The Colonel looked around, but there were none. "Ok, it's been a long day and you've had a lot of information thrown at you. Go get some rest, absorb what you've learned, and be ready to hit the ground running when you hear the klaxons go off."

* * *

 **Date: 6 April, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM-AUSSIE, Radar Center**

The base had recently been upgraded with a long range radar system. There were rumors of a new, advanced type of radar that would be deployed soon, but that's all they were, as far as the techs knew. That still didn't stop them from engaging in wild theories to help pass the time while they were on watch.

Their theorizing was cut short by an alert from one of the consoles. A UFO appeared to be inbound. The Alert-5 was launched to investigate, and Colonel Tomiere was called to the radar center. The Colonel arrived just as the Alert Interceptor was closing on the UFO.

"Report," he ordered.

"Sir, Interceptor-4 is closing on the UFO now," the tech reported. He hit a switch and moved the incoming transmission to the speakers.

 _"_ _Control, this is India-four. Closing to visual range. UFO appears to be medium sized. Two levels. Looks like an asterisk, of sorts, over."_

"This is control, Roger, break, close to Avalanche range and engage."

 _"_ _This is India-four, closing. Going hot. Fox….oh shit!"_

Before the pilot could fire, the UFO accelerated away. The interceptor followed as far as he could, but even with afterburners, he lost the UFO.

 _"_ _Control, India-four, I lost him, sorry, sir."_

"This is control, roger, return to base. Out."

"Alert Central," the Colonel ordered. "It could be heading to their coverage zone."

 **XCOM-CENTRAL, Two Hours Later**

The Commander was in the Radar center with Colonels Lancer and Smith. They had received word from the AUSSIE base and were waiting for the UFO to appear on their radar.

"Felicity, I want you to take as many as the new soldiers as you can for this mission. Let's get them out in the field and see how they hold up." The Commander instructed.

"Still trying to keep away from AUSSIE, sir?" Smith replied with a hint of mischief.

The Commander laughed. "You'll have plenty of time to get there, don't worry."

"Excuse me, Sir, but do you think it's wise to send out an entire team of, well, rookies for this?" Colonel Lancer asked.

"Good point," The Commander replied. "Felicity, I assume you've chose your squad leaders?"

"Yessir."

"Good. Take Major Littlefield and your two squad leaders, round out the team with the new soldiers. Gather them now and suit up so you're all ready to go. Oh, and don't die."

"That's always the goal, sir." Colonel Smith replied as she left to carry out her orders.

The UFO showed up on their radar a few minutes later. The Alert-5 was launched immediately. About halfway to the interception, the UFO disappeared from Radar.

"Firestorm-1, this is Control. We lost the contact, do you have visual or radar, over?"

 _"_ _This is Firestorm-1, negative control."_

"This is control, proceed to the following coordinates and conduct a radar sweep."

The Firestorm pilot did as instructed and managed to locate the UFO.

 _"_ _Control, Firestorm-1, UFO-One-four located. UFO has landed, marking coordinates."_

"Firestorm-1, this is Control Actual. Remain onstation until Skyranger arrives." The Commander ordered. Then he turned Michelle, "Send the Skyranger, immediately."

* * *

 **Date: 6 April, 1999  
** **Location: UFO-14 Landing Site, Near Poniatowa, Poland**

"Alright you Sectoid-lovers, listen up!" Colonel Smith was standing at the rear of the Skyranger, just after it landed. "Sergeant Jones and his team will go with Major Littlefield. You will spread out head east. Stay within sight of each other to back each other up if you need to. Sergeant Allure and his squad are with me. These Power Suits will provide a lot of protection, but you are _not_ invincible. Don't be stupid. Now go kill some of those ET bastards!"

The ramp descended and the two squads filed out of the skyranger, exploring the area. Colonel Smith's squad located the UFO. "Zeta Squad, this is…" the Colonel paused, as this mission was rushed and she didn't actually have a team, but rather a hodge podge of soldiers, she wasn't sure what to call herself. She decided to go with the next unused letter of the greek alphabet. "…This is Eta-1, we've located the UFO. We'll secure the UFO, you secure the immediate area, over."

She received two clicks in reply, the unspoken equivalent of "roger out." The Colonel and her squad found the opening on the south side of the UFO. They lined up on both sides of the entrance, and when ready, Colonel Smith opened the UFO and entered. There was a foyer just beyond the entrance, well, what would be called a foyer in a house. There was an internal door, a few feet in.

The Colonel and her sergeant took position on either side, just inside of the UFO entrance. The rest of the squad entered and lined up by the internal door. They looked back at the Colonel who motioned for them to get ready. Then, over the internal suit comms she said, "3, 2, 1, go!"

Private Bailey was first through the door. He found himself in an examination room, there was a large table in the center, with the unidentifiable remains of a person on it. There were two smaller tables on either side which had what appeared to be tools of some sort, but the private couldn't really tell.

There were also three Floaters in the room. Private Bailey got the drop on one and fired three bolts from his Plasma Rifle, killing it. The other two fired three bolts each from their Plasma Pistols. The plasma bolts hit the armor, which protected Private Bailey. Sergeant Allure fired through the doorway, killing one of the remaining Floaters, and Private Jenna White fired, killing the last of the three.

"These things are incredible!" Private Bailey exclaimed. "They _do_ make us invincible!"

"Tone it down, Private." The Colonel warned. "The Power Suit did its job and saved your life. It affords a high level of protection, but is does _not_ make you invincible, clear?"

"Yes, Ma'am," Private Bailey replied, although he didn't really get it.

They lined up by the opposite door. Colonel Smith motioned for them to be ready and then opened the door. She went through first, followed by Sergeant Allure. The immediate area was clear, so the Colonel gave instructions. "Ally, you take Werner and go right. Jenna, Patrick, you're with me, we'll go left. Move."

Sergeant Allure and Private Seidler went right and turned the corner. They found one of the UFO Power Sources and a Floater. Private Seidler killed the Floater with his Plasma Rifle and the Sergeant ensured the area was clear.

Colonel Smith and her two privates went to the left. They found a UFO Power Source, but otherwise the area was clear. There was a lift at the south end of the UFO, they moved towards it. As the got close a Floater came down. All three of them opened fire, killing it before it got all the way down.

"I can see why they call you Ferocity," Private Bailey observed.

The Colonel shrugged and stepped onto the lift and went up to the second level.

"How did you do that?" Private White asked.

"Step on the red square and think, 'up'," the Colonel replied.

She was joined by the privates a moment later. The second level of the UFO looked like the inside of an asterisk. There was what appeared to be a big circular room in the middle. They went north, trying to find the entrance to that room, but came to a dead end. They turned around and circled back around, going the other direction, eventually coming to the entrance on the north side of the UFO.

Colonel Smith opened the door, but before she could do anything, Private Bailey rushed in. "I got this," he claimed.

Only he didn't. The Floater inside the room got the drop on him, firing three blasts from its Heavy Plasma. The first plasma bolt tore away at the armor where the leg met the torso. The second blast penetrated the armor, scorching the flesh beneath. The third blast shattered Patrick's hip, partially severing the femoral artery. Private Baily went down, bleeding profusely from the wound.

Private White freaked out when she saw her compatriot get shot. She dropped her weapon and froze in place. Colonel Smith killed the Floater and turned towards Private White.

"Jenna?" Felicity prompted. "Are you ok? Jenna!"

There was no response. "Private White! Snap out of it! I need hour help!"

The Private came to her senses after just a moment. She picked up her rifle and apologized to the Colonel. They both entered the room, but it was clear of aliens. Colonel Smith tended to Private Bailey, but there was little she could do. He was losing too much blood.

"I'm sorry, Colonel." Patrick said through labored breath. "You were right. We're not invincible." His body went limp. Colonel Smith wanted to scream. She wanted to scream at the Floater for killing her soldier. She wanted to scream at Patrick Bailey for being stupid. She wanted to scream at Jenna White for freezing. She wanted to scream at herself for not stopping the Patrick. She pushed the urge to scream deep down insider. She'd deal with it later. Right now she had more pressing matters.

"Gamma-1, this is Eta-1, second floor is secure, two X-ray KIA. Report status."

 _"_ _This is Gamma-1, first floor is secure. I count 4 x-ray, KIA, over."_

"Roger, break, Zeta-1, report."

 _"_ _This is Zeta-1, area secure, two X-rays KIA, no casualties on our side."_

That was good news at least. Colonel Smith acknowledged and then called control.

"Control, this is Eta-1, UFO and site are secure, one team member KIA, eight alien corpses to bring back. Recommend sending salvage team, over."

* * *

 **Date: 6 April, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM-CENTRAL, Briefing Room**

All the new soldiers were gathered, even the ones who were not on the mission. Colonel Smith stood up front, leaning on the stage, and addressed them all.

"Normally, this is where the team would be debriefed. The team lead would go through and summarize the events for the Major or myself, or both. Since both Major Littlefeild and myself were on this last mission, we'll skip that portion. However, there is one very important matter we need to discuss. Namely, stupidity will get you killed."

That last line caught their attention. She had all eyes on her.

"When you all arrived a few days ago, we ran you through a short but intense training program. That program was designed to bring you up to speed on the threats you will face, as well as the tools you will be using to engage those threats. We gave you a brief history of what we've done and a brief intro into the tactics we've learned as a result. All of this was designed to keep you alive. However, none of it can guard you against stupidity."

She paused and looked around the room, she still had their full attention.

"Far be it for me to speak ill of the dead, but what Patrick Bailey did was stupid. These Power Suits are brilliant. Our scientists and engineers did a fantastic job. These suits can keep you alive. They can protect you from enemy fire, but they cannot protect you from your own stupidity. If an alien gets the drop on you, the suit can help… _if_ you take action immediately. Patrick Bailey thought he was invincible because he took a few hits from a Plasma Pistol. The Heavy Plasma is _twice_ as powerful. The suits were not designed to withstand a direct hit. Certainly not three of them."

The Colonel let out a breath. "Listen, if you pull some sort of American John Wayne bullshit and go charging in, presenting the aliens the perfect target, the suit won't help. We have developed tactics and procedures, most of them as a result of the losses we've taken. When you are out there, you need to listen to you squad leaders. Playing John Wayne will get you killed, and we've had enough soldiers get killed. Listen to your squad leaders and we'll do our best to make sure you all come back alive, are we clear?"

Colonel Smith looked around the room to a series of nods and 'yes ma'ams.' She hoped what she said had sunk in. Time would tell. Hopefully their losses would slow down and even stop all together. That would depend on them.

* * *

 **Author's Note** : A little bit of a background chapter again. I always wondered how the rookies were able to use the advance equipment (power suits and alien weaponry) immediately upon arriving at the base. I figured a little bit of training was in order. As for the Power Suits, I've had soldiers take up to 9 hits with a Plasma Pistol and get no damage whatsoever, but 1 or 2 hits from a Heavy Plasma and they were dead. Hopefully the soldiers will wise up and our survival rate will increase a little.


	11. Chapter 11 - SECOND ORDER EFFECTS

**Date: 9 April, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM-AUSSIE, Briefing Room**

Major Montse "Icequeen" Rodriguez was briefing one of her teams for a UFO recovery mission. XCOM-AUSSIE had just shot down a medium sized UFO with the base's interceptor. Major Littlefield was with her. Her and Colonel Smith finally got to visit the XCOM-AUSSIE base to learn the finer points of base management from Colonel Tomiere and Major Rodriguez. Colonel Smith was in the Radar Room with Colonel Tomiere and she was observing Major Rodriguez brief the assault team.

"Alright listen up," Major Rodriguez began. "Delta's Medic is still off the roster, to Epsilon Team is up. Our Interceptor just shot down a medium sized UFO. According to the pilot, it was an asterisk UFO. Last time one of these was shot down, a team from CENTRAL recovered it. The entrance is on the south side of the UFO. There are two stories, with the lift to the second in the southeast side."

"Excuse me, ma'am," Captain White asked, "Which aliens and how many are on site?"

"We are not sure what type. From what we know, it is most likely Floaters or Sectoids, but be prepared for anything. Last time there were eight, but there may be more. You all should know the drill by this point. Search the area, secure the UFO, neutralize any and all enemy units and ensure the site is safe for salvage operations. Questions?"

"Yes, ma'am." Captain White replied. "Did we get Heavy Plasmas? Also, when will we get some Power Suits?"

"We have enough Heavy Plasmas for your entire team. As for Power Suits. Colonel Smith brought three of them with her. You and your sergeants will take them for a test drive. We should have the rest in a few days, week at most. Anymore questions?"

There were none.

"Alright, good, suit up and keep your heads on out there."

 **Armory – 15 minutes later**

Captain White, Sergeant Qi and Sergeant Jin were donning their Power Suits while the rest of the team were donning their Personal Armor.

"Now I big as you, Tiny," Sergeant Qi said.

"That's good, Ping Pong. Did the engineers put the wooden blocks in your suit so you can reach the controls?" Captain white replied.

"This not Indiana Jones, you know. They give me metal pedal," Qi replied with a twinkle in her eye.

Tom White laughed and then made sure his team was suited up and ready to go.

"Grab your weapons and get to the Hangar. Move out!"

 **Radar Center – Two Hours Later**

Colonel Smith was standing with Colonel Tomiere, watching the track of SKYRANGER-2 as it approached the UFO crash site.

"First time watching a mission from this side?" Jaques asked.

"Yeah, feels a little…weird," Felicity replied.

"It definitely takes some getting used to," Jaques agreed

 _"_ _Control, Delta-1, ready to disembark."_ Captain White reported in.

A technician hit a button on his console, bringing the HWP that was deployed out of standby and into active mode. A series of monitors lit up, each one displaying feed from a different camera on the HWP. The technician manipulated the joystick and the HWP descended the ramp. He then moved the gun turret from side to side. The cameras on the HWP showed the immediate area to be clear.

"Delta-1, this is control, area is clear of hostiles. Proceed on mission." Colonel Tomiere ordered. Then he turned back to Felicity. "You wanna be out there, don't you?"

Felicity nodded with a half smile.

"I can see it in your eyes," Jaques said. "I know the feeling all too well. If I recall, you were senior enlisted in the Royal Marines, so you were very familiar with leading troops in the field. Leading them on a base is different. Many of our soldiers have more field experience than I do at this point. Hardly seems right sometimes, but you will need to develop a new set of skills in running a base."

 _"_ _Delta-1, This Gamma-1, UFO located. Heading to south side."_

 _"_ _This is Delta-1, Roger. Secure UFO entrance. Medic and I are enroute. Break. Control, Delta-1, recommend sending HWP with Zeta Squad to secure the surrounding area."_

"This is control, Roger out." Colonel Tamiere nodded to the technician controlling the HWP, who 'drove' it close to Zeta Squad.

"I certainly don't mean to be a distraction," Felicity began, "but how do you transition from leading troops in the field to leading them on a base."

"That's a good question. When I figure it out, I'll let you know."

Both Colonels laughed. So did some of the techs.

"Seriously though, the desire to be out there with the troops is, well it's very strong."

"I know. So does Michelle and so does _Jefe_. The Commander was disabled because he couldn't give it up. He was forced to. Michelle and I, we were sort of forced to as well, just by our seniority. It's a little different for you. You were chosen to lead a base because of your ability to lead the troops. The important thing is to remember to keep your eye on the big picture. You won't be down in the weeds. You need to keep the soldiers alive by ensuring they have the right equipment, enough ammo, the right training. You have to learn to delegate a lot more. Let your Major handle the small stuff. Tell her what you need done and let her do it. You'll be dealing with the Commander a lot more now. Press him for what your troops need and for what your base needs. When your troops are in the field, let them handle things, providing guidance only when asked."

As if on cue, Captain White radioed in. _"Central, Delta-1, ready to infiltrate UFO. Recommend by the numbers, with four in and two out, over."_

"This is Control," Colonel Tomiere replied. "By the numbers, four in, two out, proceed when ready. Out"

"Captain White is new, so I'm here to back him up. Last time, the team did their thing, only notifying us when the mission was complete. You need to be ready for either scenario. And if they don't need you, don't force your instructions on them." Colonel Tomiere advised.

Felicity nodded, soaking up his advice.

"I'm not trying to lecture you, or tell you how to run your base. I just want to pass on what I've learned. Like I said, it's a complete different set of skills."

"Oh no worries, there, _Gento,_ " Felicity replied. "That's why I'm here. I'll take all the advice you have to offer, and I certainly appreciate you letting me sit in on this mission."

"What is it the Americans say? 'That and a buck will buy you a coke?' or some such thing?" Jaques joked.

Felicity smiled, then turned serious. "Truth is, I'm torn. On the one hand, I'm truly honored that the Commander would pick me for such an important and serious job. On the other, it's going to be tough not going out into the field anymore."

 _"_ _Delta-1, Zeta-1, Contact!"_

 _"_ _This Delta-1, roger. Do you need assistance?"_

 _"_ _This is Zeta-1, negative."_

"Sounds like things just got interesting," Jaques observed.

"And this is why it's tough being on this side of things," Felicity Lamented.

"You'll get used to it," Jaques assured her.

 _"_ _This is Gamma-1, first level of UFO secure, proceeding to second level."_

"Mind if I sit in on the debriefing?" Felicity asked.

"Not at all. Swing by my office after and we'll talk some more."

The two colonels listened in to the mission, while the technicians monitored events and controlled the HWP. The team on site secure the UFO and cleared the area, without any loss of life. Finally, Captain White made his radio call.

 _"_ _Control, this is Delta-1, UFO and site are secure. Eight enemy KIA. Two friendlies wounded, no friendlies KIA. If I may be so bold, these new suits kick ass. Ahem. Recommend sending salvage team, over."_

The two colonels smiled at the slightly unorthodox report. "Delta-1, this is control actual, good job. I'm glad the suits are working. Salvage team is enroute, R-T-B. Out."

* * *

 **Date: 12 April, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM-AUSSIE, Colonel's Office**

The two Colonels were discussing the ins and outs of base management. "You'll probably talk to the Commander a lot more now," Jaques said with a smile. "Most of your supplies will come from CENTRAL. Still, you'll be responsible for ordering what you need. Might be a little easier with the super secret American base right next door, but don't rely on them. Rely on XCOM, that's what we're here for."

"Yessir."

"And don't call me sir. You don't need to sir anyone anymore. Believe it or not, at this level, the Commander is not big on formality."

"Easy for you to say, you and Nurse have been with him from the beginning."

"Yeah, but you were the second wave, you came right after us. I mean it. If you don't believe me, call him 'sir' as soon as you get back and see what he says," Jaques smirked.

"Well, Lori and I will probably be leaving tomorrow. I do appreciate all your help, _Gento_ , and your advice. It will all come in handy." Felicity replied.

They were interrupted by the alarm klaxon. Both of them got up and went straight to the radar center.

"What have we got?" Colonel Tomiere asked.

"Terror Site. United States. New York. Manhattan Island." The tech replied.

"Patch me through to CENTRAL."

"Already done. Go ahead, sir."

"CENTRAL, AUSSIE, You want us to take this?"

 _"_ _AUSSIE, This is Central Actual. Negative. We have this one covered. I will be sending the team YANKEE ACTUAL picked, see how they work as a unit."_

"This is AUSSIE, roger. Standing by to assist. Out." Jaques then turned to Felicity. "You can monitor from here. Welcome to the…how you say?...big leagues."

* * *

 **Date: 12 April, 1999  
** **Location: Manhattan, New York, USA**

SKYRANGER-1 landed in Central Park, and the team disembarked. They were all outfitted in Power Suits and carrying Heavy Plasmas and grenades. There were no local authorities to meet them, so they were unsure of exactly what they were walking into. They found out soon enough.

They came under attack immediately after they disembarked from the Skyranger. Three Snakemen open fired with Heavy Plasmas. Private Carmen Rivera went down in the first volley.

"Everyone, take cover!" Captain Spiel shouted, as the team tried to do just that.

The medic went over to Private Rivera. She was still alive, but severely injured. She wouldn't be any use on this mission. Fortunately, getting her to the Skyranger was easy. Stabilizing her was a little more difficult, but Private Frank Sharpe, the medic, was able to do so and rejoin the group.

After an intense firefight, the three Snakemen were killed. There were no other injuries besides Private Rivera. Captain Spiel took stock of the situation. "Alright, there's the exit from Central Park. Sergeant Jones, take Gamma Squad to the north. Sergeant Allure, take Zeta Squad to the south. Corporal Duran, you're with Sharpe and me, we'll go through the center. Everyone clear?"

He got a series of nods and then they made for the exit to the park. It's said that no plan survives first contact with the enemy. Well, this plan didn't survive second contact. As soon as they left the park, they saw a café across the way. The café was on the first floor, with seven stories of apartments above it. They noticed four Chrysalids inside the café, and it looked like they were going further into the apartment.

"That's not good, Captain," Sergeant Jones said. "If they get to those people in the apartments, we'll be dealing with an army of Chrysalids."

"You're right." Captain Spiel replied, then turned to the group. "Everyone ready a grenade. We'll take out the entire café. Be ready to open fire when the dust clears. Follow myt lead. Everyone ready? … Fire in the hole!" The Captain tossed in a grenade threw the main window and everyone on Eta team followed suit.

The blast blew out the door and the remaining windows. It also attracted more Chrysalids. They saw them coming down through a staircase that had been blocked by a door, now exposed thanks to the grenades. The entire team opened fire. Some of the heavy plasma bolts hit the support columns.

Having already been weakened by the grenades, two of them gave way under plasma fire. The middle of the second floor collapsed, then, the entire front half of the building, from the center out, collapsed on itself.

"That's one way to take out a large group of Chrysalids," Corporal Likachev observed dryly.

Once the smoke cleared, Sergeant Allure ordered Corporals Loman Duran and Jenna White to investigate. There were two civilians caught in the rubble. As the two corporals bend over to clear some of the rubble off of them, a Chrysalid jumped from the exposed third story, landing on Corporal White. She let out a cry and went silent as the rest of the team gunned down the Chrysalid.

"Jenna, are you ok?" Loman asked. "Jenna? Jenna!"

"Take her helmet off," Captain Spiel ordered.

Corporal Duran did as instructed. Jenna's eyes were milky white and glossed over. "It doesn't look good, sir." He reported.

"Kill the zombie. We can't have a Chrysalid in a power suit." Captain Spiel ordered.

Corporal Duran hesitated. "Sir…I…"

Captain Spiel took aim and fired his Heavy Plasma, hitting the former Jenna White, now zombie, in the head. Killing the zombie instantly. He then climbed up on top of the rubble and after determining the building was clear, turned towards his soldiers. "I expect any of you to do the same for me. If _any_ one is turned into a zombie by those nightmares, it is imperative that the zombie is killed before the new Chrysalid hatches. Are clear?"

He received a series of nervous nods in reply and then ordered the squads to move out in their assigned directions.

 **XCOM CENTRAL, Concurrently**

Commander Jimenez was watching events as they unfolded. Initially the engagement had gone well. They suffered one injury, but without the Power Suit, it would have been a casualty. They group overcame and moved on. Then he was hit with two pieces of bad news back to back. First, two civilian casualties. Second, the Power Suit wouldn't stop Chrysalids.

"Colonel Lancer, get with Dr. Albright and see if something can be done to protect our soldiers." he ordered.

"Yessir, I'll get right on it, although I think the best advice we can give them is to be alert and throw everything they have at them at first sighting."

"I fear you're right, but we need to look into it." The Commander replied.

"Yessir. What do we want to do about the civilian casualties? That's twice in two terror site missions." The Colonel lamented.

"We could claim they were Chrysalid Zombies," one of the techs offered.

The Commander thought about it, but decided against it. "No, we have no way of knowing for sure. We'll play this straight and offer up the facts, unfiltered."

"Yes, sir." The tech and the Colonel both replied.

 **Terror Site – 3, Northern Section**

Sergeant Charles "Chuck" Jones and Corporal Michael Stinsen were proceeding carefully up Madison Avenue. They had just passed 68th St. when they hear some commotion up ahead. A window broke and a civilian jumped out, making a break for it. Before either one of them could react, a Snakeman gunned him down.

Corporal Stinsen shot the Snakeman before it could turn towards them. They heard some commotion inside and entered to investigate. There were two more Snakemen inside. One of them got the drop on Sergeant Jones, but fortunately, the Power Suit took the blast and the sergeant was uninjured. Both he and Corporal Stinsen took out the two Snakemen.

They still heard a noise inside the building. Suddenly a creature burst through the door…with a wooden baseball bat. The "creature" attacked Corporal Stinsen, but the bat just shattered when it connected with the shoulder of the Michael's Power Suit.

"Hey! Hey! Easy!" the Corporal said. "It's ok. We're from the government, we're here to help."

"Really, Corporal? Could you be any more cliché?" The sergeant observed. Then he turned toward the very frightened civilian holding the shattered remains of a baseball bat. "Are you ok? We really are here to help."

"Who…who are you?"

The sergeant made the unprecedented move of taking off his helmet. "I'm Sergeant Charles Jones. We're from an organization that doesn't exist, fighting a war that's not happening, against aliens that don't exist."

"Tell him that!" The civilian retorted, pointed to the dead Snakeman.

"Are you, ok?" The Sergeant repeated.

"Yea, for now. There's four of us left, can you really help us?" The civilian then noticed the Heavy Plasma next to the dead Snakeman and then the one the Sergeant was holding. "Wait, you…you have their weapons. Are you working with them?"

"No, we're fighting them. To be honest, I took this weapon from a dead alien. By the way, these weapons, don't-"

"Don't exist…yeah, yea…ok…if your not with the aliens, then you'll help us get outta here?"

"Yes, get the others, we'll bring you to central park. We have an transport-"

"Let me guess, which doesn't exist." The Civilian dryly interrupted.

"Oh no, the Skyranger exists," Corporal Stinsen interjected. "You can read about it on the internet. It's really a fascinating aircraft."

"Corporal…"

"Sorry, Sergeant," Michael replied to the unstated warning. Then he turned to the civilian, "Come with me if you want to live."

"Really, corporal?"

The civilian, for his part, started laughing. Sergeant Jones just shook his head. "Come on, all of you."

 **Central Park, Skyranger-1**

The entire Eta Team was assembled at the Skyranger. They had done a complete sweep of the area, and found 9 civilian survivors. The NYPD was on site by this time, including the city commissioner himself.

"This city owes all of you a debt," The commissioner began.

Captain Spiel interrupted him. "Commissioner, I appreciate that you are here, but we're soldiers, not politicians. You've given a lifetime of service to your city, and we are giving our service to the entire planet. The best thing you can do for us right now is to pretend we do not exist. We're not sure how long this war will last, but operate best behind the scenes."

"I appreciate your candor, Captain," The commissioner replied. "Rest assured my men and I will keep your secret safe. I suppose those 'terrorists' are all taken care of and accounted for?"

"Yes, sir. We have a cleanup crew going through the city now, so every trace will be removed. You'll have nothing to worry about with the public."

"Thank you, captain. All politicking aside, I sincerely appreciate what you and your soldiers did here this evening."

The Captain nodded, turned and boarded the Skyranger. He got on the radio as the ramp was closing "Central, Eta-1. Salvage ops complete, ten enemy KIA, one friendly, with one more wounded. RTB, out."

* * *

 **Date: 14 April, 1999  
** **Location: 10 Downing Street, London, UK**

The British Prime Minister was meeting with his cabinet. It was a closed door meeting, no aides and certainly no media were present. "Gentlemen, forgive me for bypassing the usual platitudes, but there is something quite urgent that we must discuss."

There were some murmurs and some nods around the table, but the PM had the attention of everyone in his cabinet.

"You all have heard rumors in the press, and I'm sure your constituents have sent letters regarding the rumors. Today, I'm here to tell you those rumors are true. The earth is at war."

"How long has this war been going on, and why have you kept this from us?" The Minister of Justice asked.

"All of this information was on a need to know basis and most of you did not need to know." The Minister of Defense replied.

"Wait, so you knew? And you didn't say anything?" The Minister of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs asked.

"The Minister of Defense was the only minister made aware. That was my decision. We have some troops fighting the extra terrestrial threat, and we are reaping rewards as a result. Where do you think the Laser Rifles came from?" He asked rhetorically. "The reason you all are being brought in is because the aliens are becoming more brazen in their attacks."

"You mean what happened in Manhattan wasn't just a terrorist attack?" The Minister of Health and Social Services, Cory Oldshire, asked.

"Well, technically, yes, they were terrorists, but…they were also extra terrestrials." The PM admitted. "The reason you all are being brought into this is because we need a plan to protect the citizens of our commonwealth. There is an organization that will provide assistance, but they can't be everywhere at once."

"Sir, forgive me for saying, but it is safe to assume the Americans are the biggest funder of this organization?" Cory asked.

"It certainly seems like the American approach to this situation," another minister agreed.

"Yes," The PM responded, ignoring the barb. "The Americans chair the committee of funding nations and, at the moment, they are the biggest funder."

Cory Oldshire was about to take a big risk, but this might have been the moment he was waiting for. "Sir, I know I am just a backbencher and many of you think I don't belong at this table, but even I can see the connection here. The Americans ruling the council, the Americans funding the organization. Are you sure the earth is at war and not just the Americans?"

The table erupted. Accusations, counter-accusations, comments of outrage at being kept in the dark, outrage at the outrage, the group was about to fall into bedlam. The PM slammed his fist on the table. "Enough! This is not how her majesty's cabinet will act," he exclaimed.

The Minister of State for Transport was the first to speak, "Sir, if you please, while he may be a backbencher, Mr. Oldshire may have a point. I know the Americans have been our closest friends and you and their President are not just colleagues, but good friends. Even still, could it be possible what the Minister is saying is true?"

"Even if what Mr. Oldshire was saying is true, the Americans are our allies and we should stand by them." The PM replied.

"Even if it means destroying the Commonwealth?" The Minister for Foreign and Commonwealth affairs asked. He was a senior member of the ruling party, and rumor had it, next in line for the PM seat, if his party kept power. "Alfred, we go way back, and your commitment to our allies and our planet is admirable, but what if this war is really just with the Americans and they are simply trying to bring us into it?"

"Doesn't matter," the Minister of Defense said. "I've seen the alien's technology. It's lightyears ahead of anything in our wildest dreams. If America falls, the rest of the planet surely will as well."

"What if the aliens don't want war?" Cory asked. He went too far and almost blew his cover.

"Are you an alien sympathizer, Mr. Oldshire?" The Minister of Defense asked.

"Sir, I am offended at the very notion. I care about the lives of my constituents. I really care, not in the political way, either. I don't want to see them slaughtered by aliens with superior technology because one country on this planet is lead by a warmonger." Cory replied.

"Pretty strong words for a backbencher," The Minister of Defense retorted.

"Enough! Both of you!" The PM exclaimed. "We need to stop the internal strife and figure out how we are going to protect our people."

"What if we don't have to be involved in the Americans' war," The Minister for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs asked.

"Not be at war with the Aliens?" The Minister of Defense was incredulous. "Do you actually think we can pull out and not face any repercussions, from either side? What _you_ think, Cory?"

"I'm just a backbencher, what do I know?" Cory Replied. He may have overplayed his hand, it was important for him to back out of the conversation and let the situation run its course.

The Minister of Defense huffed and shook his head.

There was silence for a moment, before the Minster of Justice spoke up. "You are a backbencher, very new to politics," he said, addressing Cory Oldhsire, then he turned to the Minister of Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, "And you are the most experienced person in this room. Both of you may be on the right track. What if the Americans started this war and tricked all of us into falling into line? What if we can pull out, peacefully and guarantee that our citizens will never be attacked by the aliens?" He mused.

"Are you seriously suggesting we sue for peace with the aliens?" The Minister of Defense could not believe the direction the conversation was taking.

"Even if such a thing were possible, what benefit could there really be to abandoning the Americans, and how would we even go about such a thing. It's not like the aliens have a rep at the U.N." The PM said.

The Minister of Education, silent up to this point, finally spoke up. "I may not know the answer to the first question, but…I may have an answer to the second."

"You've been colluding with the Aliens?!" The Minister of defense accused him.

"No," The Minister of Education replied, and let out a breath, clearly not comfortable with what he was about to share. "But I know someone who is able to contact them. Well, he knows someone who is able to contact them, but I could put the word out if that is what our cabinet decides."

"That's all well and good," The Minister of Defense replied, "but what guarantees do we have they would keep their word? If we keep working with the Americans we can gain access to technology to protect our citizens."

The Prime Minister nodded, he clearly wanted to stay the course.

"Alfred," The Minister for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs began. "I know you want to stand by the Americans. They helped us in our darkest hour, and this is our chance to return the favor. But we must consider the citizens of British Isle, if not the greater Commonwealth. At the very least, let us take a vote on the matter."

The Prime Minister was truly torn. He wanted to stand by his friends and allies. His Minister friend also had a point on both sides of the issues. This was Britain's chance to pay America back for helping them in their darkest hour. However, he also had a responsibility to protect the lives of those he served. He made a decision that would alter the course of his nation and the war. "Let's put it to a vote." He said.

There were twenty-three ministers total. The vote was split with eleven ministers on each side when it came to Cory Oldshire. He looked at the Minster of Defense and then the Minister of Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. Then he let out a long sigh. He turned back to the Minister of Defense. "I'm sorry, I need to put the lives of my constituents first. I vote in favor of opening a dialogue."

With that, Great Britain would investigate the possibility of suing for peace with the Aliens.

* * *

 **Date: 14 April, 1999  
** **Location: Sectoid Staging Area, Sol System**

The Sectoid Commander was discussing recent developments with one of his operatives. "It appears Phase 2 was successful. Our other operative established a line of communication with their Education Minister. This success is two fold, one it will lead to direct communication with their government; two, it deflects the suspicion way from you. You did well, _Cory_."

"Thank you, sir. I confess, I almost overplayed things, but in the end, I cast the deciding vote. Now, all the focus is on the Minister of Education and I can sit back and remain quiet for now."

"You have done well. Continue in your role until your services are called upon once again."

"Yes, Commander. Cory out."

The screen went dark and the Commander turned to his leaders. "Is our next operative ready?"

"Commander, the operative is ready for Phase 3. However, can we not just use the operative we have in place? He has gained the trust of their government and could assist both sides."

"No." The Commander replied. "We must keep him undercover as a contingency. If Phase 3 does not succeed at this time, we must keep the current operative in place to gently steer them in the direction we need. Ready your next operative and send him in."

The Sectoid Leaders bowed and left to carry out their orders.

* * *

 **Date: 15 April, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM-CENTRAL, Radar Room**

"Sir!" Tech reported. "UFO sighted, currently over Germany and heading west. Designating target UFO-16."

"Launch the Alert 5," The watch officer ordered.

The Firestorm was in the air two minutes later. It caught up with the UFO over France and got into a tail chase. Fortunately, the Firestorm was faster and able to keep up easily.

" _In range for Plasma Beam…Fox-5!"_

The first two shots went wide. The pilot closed for better accuracy. At the speeds they were travelling, they were soon over the English Sound.

"Firestorm-1, Control, be advised, you are heading over water, over."

" _This is Firestorm-1, roger, what are your orders, Control?"_

"Firestorm-1, Control, splash uniform one six, over." The watch officer ordered, then turned to his tech. "We'll lose the salvage, but we can't take the risk to the citizens."

The Firestorm closed to make the kill when the pilot got an unexpected radio call.

" _Unidentified aircraft, you are entering British Airspace, turn back or we'll be forced to take defensive action, over._ "

" _This is Firestorm-1, I am chasing the hostile unidentified aircraft I'll splash him shortly, over."_

" _Firestorm-1, this is Romeo lead from Her Majesties Royal Airforce. You are directed to turn back and let us handle it, over."_

"Sir, what do we do now?" The tech asked the watch officer.

The watch officer thought for a moment. "We can't violate their sovereignty. If they order us to leave, we have to listen. Bring Firestorm-1 home, but continue to track. I'll go inform the Commander."

The watch officer left and the technician ordered the Firestorm back to the base.

 **Commander's Office, Concurrently**

Doctor Albright was briefing the Commander on her scientists' latest break through, the Stun Bomb.

"Sir, that Small Launcher that was recovered is used for the Stun Bomb."

"Stun bomb?"

"Uh, yes, sir. That's what it is. It is a Bomb that stuns people, or aliens. It is an area effect weapon that stuns rather than injuring its targets. As we've seen it is quite effective on people and aliens alike."

"Sounds like we have a weapon that will allow us to capture aliens for interrogation if we need to. What's the catch?" The commander observed.

"The 'catch' as you put it, is that the launcher can only carry one stun bomb at a time. Once it's fired, it's empty and must be reloaded before it can be used again."

"But it is an area effect weapon, correct? So one shot can stun multiple aliens?"

"Yes, sir, if they are in the stun bomb's blast radius, which is about the size of a grenade."

"Can we manufacture them in house?"

"Yes, we can, the launchers themselves can be made with some of our Alien Alloy stock. However, the Stun Bombs require Elerium to be manufactured."

"Ok, thank you, Doctor. Next, I would like you to look at a way to protect our soldiers against these Chrysalid nightmares."

Dr. Albright was once again looking at having the AHCO, or "Hover Tank" as the Commander insisted on calling it, delayed. She had to think quickly, and she did. "Commander, the Hover Tank can accomplish that."

"How so?"

"Well, sir, you are used to the old HWP. It is slow and, forgive me for saying so, but rather clunky. It's an easy target. The Hover Tank, will be much faster, unimpeded by any type of terrain, it will have stronger armor and its weapon will be the equivalent of a Heavy Plasma. It's the perfect weapon against those nightmares, immune to their attack."

"It can't be poisoned," the Commander replied, "but it can still be damaged, no?"

"It can withstand a large amount of damage, plus, it hovers, as it over the ground, as in out of reach of any aliens that rely on melee instead of weapons."

"Fair point. Very well, proceed with the Hover Tank project. Thank you, Doctor."

Dr. Albright nodded and got up to leave. She was nearly knocked over on her way out by a watch officer who was running in.

"Commander, please excuse the interruption, but we may have a situation."

* * *

 **Date: 15 April, 1999  
** **Location: 10 Downing Street, London, UK**

The Prime Minister was sitting in the Cabinet Room with only the Ministers of Defense and Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. They were awaiting the Alien Representative to discuss the possibility of peace.

The Minister of Education walked in with the representative, who surprisingly looked human. "Mr. Prime Minister, I present you the Alien Representative."

"You…you're human?" The Prime Minister asked.

The Alien Representative chuckled slightly, in a friendly sort of way. "No, not exactly. There are many similarities between your people and mine, but there are some differences as well. Our appearance is one of those similarities."

"But, I've seen pictures of grotesque creatures, huge snakes, giant crab-like nightmares…" The Minister of Defense said.

The Alien Representative did good facsimile of looking downcast. "Yes, sadly, that is the propaganda being used against us. As you can see, that propaganda is false."

"Please, have a seat, Mr….?" The Prime Minister offered.

"You may call me Mr. M." the Alien Representative said. "And thank you, I will."

Mr. M wasted no time getting right down to business, even adopting their mannerisms. "If you please, sir, I would like to get right to the point."

The Prime Minister nodded.

Mr. M continued. "Thank you, sir, and thank you for agreeing to meet with me. I'm afraid there has been a tremendous misunderstanding, one that has led to so many deaths of both your people and mine. I'm here to see if we can put an end to that misunderstanding and coexist peacefully in this solar system."

"Do you seriously—" The Minister of Defense started, but quickly stopped after receiving a glare from the Prime Minister.

"Apologies, Mr. M. Please, do continue." The PM said.

"No, the apologies are mine, good sir," Mr. M replied. "My people have not handled things in the best of ways. I fear much of the bloodshed could have been avoided had we only proceeded differently after the disastrous first contact."

"You mean the incident in Romania, back in January?" The PM asked.

"Oh no. First Contact was a year prior, over Japan. But first, please allow me to share a little of our history."

The PM nodded.

Mr. M continued. "Roughly two hundred years ago, we were living on our own planet. It was very similar to yours. It orbited a star similar to your Sol. It was in what your scientists call the 'goldilocks zone.' It was slightly bigger, with a gravity of 1.1 to yours. Sadly, lack of foresight by my people turned it from a paradise into an inhospitable waste land. We had finally achieved cold fusion, but it was too late. In order for the planet to heal itself, it was clear we needed to leave and find another. A huge undertaking was made, with giant ships to carry our people across the stars. We developed new and greater technologies as we travelled. About fifty years ago, we found your planet."

"We were amazed. The similarities were striking. We thought our people were saved! Alas, we found it was inhabited, by your people, who were not too far behind us technologically. However your planet was waging a global war, and we were afraid to show ourselves. More so once you cracked nuclear fission. We observed as your United States of America unleashed the worst weapon in your history on your Japan."

"You mean the atomic bombings that ended the war?" the PM asked.

"Correct. Our fears grew as rival countries sought these 'atomic weapons' for themselves. We were certain your planet would destroy itself. There was great debate as to whether or not we should step in. But the party pushing non-interference won out, so we observed. Then, much to our surprise, the threat of annihilation seemed to fade as countries sought peace, and worked towards reducing the amount of nuclear weapons in their arsenals. There was hope after all, it seemed."

"That is when we decided it was time to make contact. We studied your cultures, your languages, your ideals. We prepped our people and on your New Year's Day, January 1, 1998 by your calendar, we sent our representatives to Washington D.C. in the United States of America. Unfortunately, our craft was unable to make contact with the American F-16s that were sent to intercept it. For all our technology, we could not crack their encryption to establish radio contact."

"What about the open frequencies?" The Minister of Defense asked. "There are open frequencies that are monitored for hailing and for distress or emergency that you could have used."

Mr. M looked embarrassed. "Yes, there are. Once again, with our all technology and for all the study and observation, our scientists. Well, they missed that. Our pilots were not given those frequencies, so they were unable to establish contact. We…we failed and as a result of that failure, we lost the lives of everyone on that craft."

The PM looked very surprised. "Mr. M, I certainly appreciate the candor with which you speak. It is refreshing in a way, first that you admit your errors and second that an advanced race such as yours is not 'all powerful.' Both show that you are not caught up in your own pride and, as I've stated, it is rather refreshing."

Mr. M still looked embarrassed, but he managed to imitate a brief flash of relief as well. "Thank you, good sir. That was just the first mistake we made. After the Americans shot down our first contact team, we decided a stealthier approach would be better. Unfortunately, they were caught and treated as spies. The Americans executed them."

"I can see why you went to war," The Minister of Education observed.

"Indeed, the voices advocating armed conflict were gaining influence, but reason yet prevailed. We tried sending a first contact team to Japan, but the Japanese launched their aircraft. We learned from our prior mistake and tried hailing them in their own language, on the open frequencies. However, they did to respond. Instead, their Interceptors opened fire on our first contact team. Fortunately, our craft was faster, so they managed to escape. We decided to give in one more time, seeking the government in Geneva. That seemed to be a big location for your United Nations, and we dared not try the United States again. This is the incident you mentioned in January. When our aircraft was met with Japanese interceptors, our pilots feared the worse fired upon them. Unfortunately, our craft was shot down and our people never heard from again."

"But the bodies that were recovered were not like you or I. They were grotesque, disproportionate." The Minister of Defense said.

"Sadly, that is more propaganda. All the pictures you have seen are fake. As you can see with your own eyes, I am very similar to you." Mr. M replied.

"But how do we know you are who you say you are and not a human trying to pull one over on us."

Mr. M sighed. "That suspicion is what we fear caused the Americans and Japanese to open fire on us. I can prove I am who I say I am, but it is not for the feint."

"What do you mean?" the PM asked.

"Mr. Prime Minister. I said we have similarities, but we also have differences. Your blood uses iron to help carry oxygen to your cells, which use it for energy. Thus, your blood is red in color. We use Element-115 in our blood. That element gives our cells energy and cause our blood to be slightly thicker and a dark yellow color. Observe." Mr. M took out a knife and cut his finger, dark yellow blood dripped onto the paper."

The Prime Minister was convince. "You've got my full attention Mr. M. What is it you want from us?"

"Our wants are simple. Peace. We wish to sign a non-aggression pact with your government. We'd also like to establish a small outpost in a remote region of your country. Hopefully, we can travel using your aircraft and establish peace with other nations, eventually bringing the war to an end all together."

"And what's in it or us? What's to keep us from being a target from the rest of the world?" The Minister of Defense asked.

Mr. M kept up his charming countenance. "We have much we can offer you. Knowledge that will keep your scientists busy for decades. If you are worried about coming under attack, as we have, we can provide you with weaponry that will protect your people and keep your nation safe. We are willing to provide all of this freely. All we ask is that we be at peace and that we be permitted to seek peace with other nations."

The Prime Minister was truly impressed. "Mr. M," he began, "Your offer really is quite extraordinary. Please, allow me to discuss your offer and your terms with my full cabinet and I will have an answer for you tomorrow. In the meantime, please stay at the Savoy, as our guest."

Mr. M inclined his head, "I thank you for taking the time to meet with me and to consider my proposal. Thank you also for your kind hospitality. This meeting is how we envisioned our original first contact and sets the stage for peace between all your people and all my people." He then turned to the Minister of Defense. "Mr. Minister, as a token of our good will, I have a present for you. Cases with contain 100 Heavy Plasma weapons, along with 4 clips for each weapon. They are yours to keep, regardless of what your government decides. Thank you again all of you." With that, Mr. M rose out of his seat.

The Minister of Education rose and escorted Mr. M out of the room.

* * *

 **Date: 16 April, 1999  
** **Location: 10 Downing Street, London, UK**

The Prime Minister was meeting with his full cabinet. He expected it to be a raucous meeting, but the cabinet ministers were all unusually subdued this morning. He reviewed the transcript of his meeting with Mr. M, leaving nothing out. When he had finished, both the Minsters of Defense and Foreign and Commonwealth affairs presented their arguments for and against signing a pact.

Both were passionate in their positions, but it was still difficult to gage how the group was leaning. Finally, the Minister of Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs turned to Cory Oldshire. "Mr. Oldshire, you were a proponent of this meeting. Do tell, what are your thoughts on the aliens' offer?"

"Good sir, I fear I took a risk yesterday in speaking out. I know many of you believe I should not have a seat at the table. I fear I may have spoken out of turn."

"Nonsense. You have just as much a right to be here as anyone." The Minister of Education said.

The Minister of Defense saw an opening in Mr. Oldshire's reticence. "So are you finally seeing he light Mr. Oldshire?" He goaded.

Cory huffed. "No Mr. Secretary. I have always maintained that what I want is nothing more than the safety of my people. I honestly believed opening a dialogue would help, but if we allow them on our soil, that could cause more harm to my constituents."

At that, the Minister for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs made a lengthy and impassioned speech. He touted the benefits of a non-aggression pact, and to ease fears, he mentioned how the Aliens would provide them with technology and even weapons so they could provide for their own safety. It was clear from the nods of the other Ministers that his speech was having the desired effect.

The Prime Minister called for a vote. By the time it was Cory Oldshire's turn, the vote was already at 14-3 in favor of the pact. He decided he would risk maintaining his cover while assuring the pact would pass. "Mr. Prime Minister, forgive me, but even with the good Minister's assurances, something still does not seem right to me. If you please, I am afraid I must cast my vote against a pact."

The PM nodded. "I understand Mr. Oldshire and I appreciate you staying true to your convictions." It was easy for the PM to say as the vote had already gone his way. The final vote was 18-5 in favor of the Pact.

Great Britain would be withdrawing from the war.

* * *

 **Author's Note** : I took a few liberties here, trying a different point of view for one of the missions and giving another "behind the scenes" look at exactly what goes into a funding nation signing a non-aggression pact with the Aliens. We'll see the fallout of the decision in future chapters. Also, with three bases about to be operating concurrently, there will be some missions that happen "off camera" as it were, in order to keep the narrative moving. I'm over 200 pages now and have barely gotten started. The good news is, I did a recent play through and kept research the same as in the story. With 2 labs and 100 scientists, I'm about where I should be. I was a little fast on the Heavy Plasma, but tried to slow down the Small Launcher to keep pace.

 **Help Wanted!** As I mentioned, I am over 200 pages. I spent much of the past two months going over the work that was done and found all sorts of errors. I try to edit things myself, but so much gets by...I'm sure there are still many errors. As a result, I am actively seeking Beta Readers. If you are interested, please send me a message and let me know. As always, constructive criticism is welcome. Thank you!


	12. Chapter 12 - FALLOUT

**Date: 18 April, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM-CENTRAL, Commander's Office**

The Commander was sitting in his office with all three of his colonels. Jacques Tomiere made a special trip out given the unusual nature of the meeting. He was briefing them on what he knew, which wasn't all that much at the moment.

"So let me get this straight," Colonel Tomiere was saying, "the Brits actually stopped you from pursuing a UFO? Any reason why?"

"That is correct. I'm not sure why. I reached out to the British Ambassador, but he was being unusually obtuse." The Commander replied.

"Think it has to do with this emergency meeting?" Colonel Smith asked.

"We'll know in a few minutes. It's almost time for it to begin." The Commander said. He had already dialed in, and was just waiting on the beep indicating his conference call was accepted.

The expected beep came right on schedule, and XCOM was in the meeting with the council of funding nations.

The American Ambassador opened the meeting in her typical no nonsense fashion. "Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for coming. I was a little surprised when the British requested this emergency meeting, but they insisted the topic was urgent and could not wait. Therefore, without further ado, I'll turn things over to the British Ambassador."

"Thank you Madam, chairwoman. Ladies and Gentlemen," the British Ambassador began, "I realize this meeting is rather unusual, but we are living in unusual times. The Earth itself is engaged in a rather unusual war. Who would have thought that we ever would be involved in an inter-planetary war? What if that war was built in a mistake? What if it was nothing more than a result of a simple miscommunication?"

"Are you serious?" the Italian Ambassador was incredulous, "After all they have done to us? Killing our children, terrorizing our cities? How can you say this is a 'simple misunderstanding?' It is way more than that, no?"

"I would like to point out, Mr. Ambassador," the Brit replied, "that you were initially of the opinion that they came here in peace and that we should not rush to judgment, were you not?"

"Yes, but that was before they attacked our aircraft and killed our soldiers."

"Is that the case? Or could it be that Italy hosts the main base for XCOM and receives quite the boon as a result?"

"How dare you!" The Italian Ambassador went from incredulous to angry. "They have terrorized our cities!"

"I would point out," The Brit observed, "that the only cities being terrorized are American cities. Could that be because the Americans fired the first shots in this war?"

"What are you talking about?" The American asked. "The Aliens fired the first shots, we all saw that. The attacked our aircraft and killed the first soldier they saw."

"Yes, who just happened to be British SAS. I fear our soldiers are dying for a war which you precipitated, although I will grant it may have been out of ignorance rather than malice. Regardless, I am talking about an incident which took place before XCOM was even dreamed of. An incident in which the Aliens sent a friendly first contact team which was shot down by the Americans. That single event could have been the spark that started this entire war. An event, which the Aliens themselves have admitted was partially their fault. Will you, Madam Chairwoman, admit your part in this?"

"I still have no idea what you are talking about. And how would you know what the Aliens admit to?" The American Ambassador replied.

"Very well, then. It's time I come clean." The Brit said. "Our Prime Minister has met with an alien representative."

That admission caused an uproar around the table. In the Commanders office, all four officers looked at each other in shock.

"Mr. Ambassador," Commander Jimenez asked, "Was that the UFO that your air forces prevented us from following?" It suddenly made sense.

"It was." The Ambassador admitted, sending the table back into an uproar.

The American Ambassador banged her gavel again to restore order. "Kindly explain yourself to this council." She said.

The British Ambassador bowed his head slightly and began his explanation. "That UFO carried a representative of the Aliens to visit our Prime Minister in London. That representative looked just like you and me. There were some physiological differences, but for all intents and purposes the aliens look just like us, not those horrid nightmares that we've seen pictures of."

"With great respect, Mr. Ambassador," Colonel Smith cut in, "I've seen these aliens first hand. I cannot speak to what your visitor looked like, but out in the field, the aliens most certainly do not look like us. I've seen Chrysalids tear themselves out of a human body. I've seen snakes the size of man. Hulking green monstrosities. I've seen all of this with my own eyes. I can personally verify the aliens attacking us are, in fact, those 'horrid nightmares' that you speak of."

"Ms. Smith, you may be playing Colonel over at XCOM, but you are still only a Colour Sergeant in Her Majesty's Royal Marines. Do not presume to correct me young lady."

The barb from the British Ambassador visibly stung Colonel Smith. There was silence on the line for a moment. The Commander opened his mouth to speak, Colonel Smith shook her head. She responded herself. "Mr. Ambassador, I would never presume to correct anyone in your esteemed position, but I do know what I have seen. I do know what has killed my soldiers and my friends. I do know what it is that I have spent my own blood and sweat defending this planet from."

She couldn't see it from where she sat, but her words had an effect on the rest of the council. The Russian Ambassador was the first to jump to her defense. "While I am a little embarrassed to admit this, we have…purchased…some of the dead bodies from XCOM. I can verify that the the aliens are real, and varying in shapes and sizes."

"Have you really seen them, Mr. Ambassador, or is that Glasnost speaking?" The British Ambassador asked.

"Ah, I think we are a few years past that, no?" The Japanese Ambassador interjected. "Besides, we too, have purchased some of the dead alien bodies."

"I'm sure you have, Japan being one of America's closest allies." came the retort.

"Actually, I thought Great Britain was one of America's closest allies," the American Ambassador observed. "At least, until today. Are you suggesting that this war is all just a conspiracy? Are you seriously saying that all conspired to incite a war against a group of aliens that outman us, outgun us and are far superior to us technologically?"

"What I am saying, Madam Ambassador, is that Great Britain has signed a non-aggression pact with the aliens. Effective immediately, we are pulling out of the XCOM Project. Our funding will cease and we are recalling all of our soldiers."

The announcement sent a shockwave around the table in Geneva, as well as the table in the Commander's office. Great Britain leaving XCOM to ally with the aliens? It was unthinkable, and yet, it was happening.

The American Ambassador recovered from her shock with a mixture of anger and sadness. "You have betrayed not only your friends and closest allies, but the entire planet. You have put the entire of humanity at risk. There will be sanctions. You will be isolated."

"Sanctions? Really? You're going to sponsor a resolution in the general assembly sanctioning my nation because of aliens? You'll be laughed out of New York. No, you will return our soldiers immediately and then you will carry on as if nothing is out of the ordinary." The British Ambassador replied rather smugly. He then addressed Colonel Smith. "Ms. Smith, you and each of the soldiers assigned to XCOM will receive recall orders within the hour. Upon your return, you will each be commissioned in your respective branch for your service to Queen and Country. Failure to adhere to those orders will result in your citizenship being stripped and you being declared persona non grata."

"You would destroy your own citizens to help the aliens?!" The American asked, astounded. "This is too much. Expect all American troops and military equipment to be recalled from your country. You will be kicked out of NATO, and yes, there will be sanctions against your country. I don't know what the aliens promised you, but you stand alone."

To echo this point, the entire group stood and turned their backs to the British Ambassador, except the American, who continued. "Security will escort you and your staff out immediately. Your offices are forfeit. Any personal belongings of you and your staff will be collected by security and, after a thorough review, will be sent to your embassy. Great Britain stands alone." After repeating that last sentence, the American Ambassador turned her back on her former friend and ally.

 **Commander's Office, 30 minutes later**

The Commander and his three colonels were still reeling from the announcement of the British Ambassador. True to his word, recall orders were sent and received minutes after the conference call ended.

"Well, I guess I'm going to know what it's like to be a stateless person." Colonel Smith observed dryly.

"Felicity, we'll find a way to make things work." The Commander promised.

"Thank you, sir, but I'm aware of what is at stake. I'm aware of the consequences if I go back to the UK. I'm aware of the consequences if I can stay. There is only one option as far as I'm concerned. I'm pretty sure Big Lori feels the same, can't speak for the rest of them though."

The Commander nodded. He was about to reply when his STU phone rang. It was the American Ambassador.

"Commander Jimenez, are you alone?"

"No, ma'am. I still have all three colonels with me. Would you like them to step out?"

"No, that's ok. It's better they are still there. Since you all are soldiers and not diplomats, I hope you will understand if I'm a little more blunt that usual."

"Of course Madam Ambassador."

The Ambassador chuckled a little. "No need for your to be so formal, Miguel. Not in this setting. Anyway, it appears the Brits have lost their collective mind. No offense, Felicity."

"None taken, ma'am. I quite agree with that sentiment."

"I'm calling to make an offer to you and your compatriots. I feel safe in assuming that, at least some of you, are not inclined to follow your recall orders. By ignoring those orders, each of you risks becoming a stateless person. I have another option for you. The United States is prepared to offer each of you citizenship. Immediately. I've spoken with the President directly and he agrees that it is the proper thing to do for each of you, given that you are risking your lives to face the very threat your homeland has just cozied up with."

Felicity didn't think she could be more shocked than she was by the Brit's announcement. The American's offer proved that wrong. She was speechless for a moment. "Ma'am, that's….that's very generous of you." Was all she could say.

"That's not all. The President is prepared to offer you as a commission as a Colonel in the United States Army. He's also prepared to offer Ms. Lori Littlefield a commission as Major. Any of the rest of the soldiers who wish to take us up on our offer will be offered commissions as Captains. The commissions will take a few days to go through, but citizenship can be granted immediately."

The Commander was equally surprised by the offer. "Ma'am that is a VERY generous offer. I will talk to each of the soldiers myself and get you an answer first thing in the morning, if that is ok."

"Tomorrow morning would be fine. Thank you, Miguel. And Miguel, please. When it's just us, feel free to call me Clarissa. Have a good evening."

The line went dead and the Commander turned to Colonel Tomiere. "Get those soldiers on a Skyranger _tan pronto_."

* * *

 **Date: 19 April, 1999 – 0217 Local Time  
** **Location: XCOM-CENTRAL, Briefing Room**

The three Colonels were sitting on the stage in the briefing room. Seated before them, in the first row were Major Lori Littlefield, Sergeant Alton Boot, Corporal Jake Koltan and Privates Helen Ryan, Lisa Thompkins, Tabitha Smith, Mathias Essex and Jake Taylor. The side door opened and Commander Jimenez entered the room.

Everyone stood as he made his way to the side of the stage, relying heavily on his cane. When he got to the stage, he laboriously and painstakingly went up each stair, aided by his cane, stopping at the top, he turned to the group, "Please bear with me. Thanks to the aliens, I'm not as quick as I used to be." He then slowly made his way to the podium, still relying heavily on his cane. When he got there, he leaned on the podium and let out a breath.

"Thank you for bearing with me. Please be seated." He said as the group sat. "I'll get right to the point. In case some of you have not heard, Great Britain has signed a non-aggression pact with the aliens. Each of you have been recalled, effective immediately. The Skyranger that brought you here will depart for London at 0300. If you are not on it, then your government will strip you of your citizenship and declare you persona non grata. Each of you will be a stateless person."

The Commander paused there and looked each solider in the eye, trying to gage each of their reactions.

Sergeant Boot was the first to speak. "Sir, forgive me if I'm out of line, but to hell with our orders. I don't know what they were thinking back home. This is bigger than any one nation. It's certainly bigger than any one of us, and frankly, sir, but after what I've seen, I'll be damned if I'm going to work alongside those creatures. Persona non grata, my ass. I'm persona irata. That's bloody pissed off for those you who don't speak Latin."

The Commander looked over the group before responding. Some of them nodded, some simply stared in disbelief. "Alright, Alton," he said softly, "fortunately that's not something you need to worry about. If you wish to stay, the United States will grant you full and immediate citizenship. They will also give you a commission as a Captain in the U.S. Army. That goes for each of you, but you need to decide quickly. I know it's a big decision to make, but the Skyranger leaves in about 25 minutes."

"Bloody hell!" Private Matthias Essex swore. "There really isn't any decision to make, now, is there? Stay here and fight the aliens, defending humanity or slinking home and becoming a bloody collaborator. That Skyranger can leave without me thanks." He then caught himself. "Oh, excuse me, sir…my apologies. I just canna' believe it."

The Commander smiled, "It's ok, Matthias. None of us can believe it. The Ambassadors, the Colonels, myself…we were all blindsided by the announcement earlier this evening. Any of you are welcome to stay. As I've said, the Americans will take good care of you. But it absolutely must be your decision—whether you feel like there is one or not—each of you must choose for yourself. No pressure from command, from your peers, from your subordinates. Each of you decide for yourself. If you follow the orders you have received, no one will think less of you. If you choose to stay, we are happy to have you."

The Commander then looked each soldier in the eye. Each one of them stood and said they were staying. Finally the Commander nodded, then slowly and laboriously, again relying heavily on his cane, left the stage and left the room.

 **Commander's Office, Two Hours Later**

Commander Jimenez sat at his desk trying to process the events of the past 24 hours. He was pleased that each soldier chose to stay, but not all that surprised. Still, Great Britain signing a non-aggression pact threw everyone for a loop, especially him. Their ambassador had been one of his biggest supporters. The UK committed more troops than anyone else. For them to turn so sharply and so suddenly. It just didn't make sense.

A soft knock on his door interrupted his thoughts. It was Colonel Lancer, and she had coffee.

"Thanks, Michelle. You can't sleep either?" he asked.

"Not really," she replied as she sat at his table.

Miguel moved from behind his desk, took the cup gratefully and sat next to her.

That sat in silence, sipping their coffee for a few minutes.

"Gento and his soldiers left an hour ago on their Skyranger," Michelle said.

"Thanks. I admit, I'm more than a little relieved they all decided to stay."

"Well, the Americans' offer helped I'm sure, Jefe. Of course, your bit with the cane wasn't too bad either."

The Commander smiled, but made no admission about exaggerating his need for or reliance on the cane. "Still," he said, "the UK was one of our biggest supporters. Best funding behind the US and Russia. They also were big on purchasing our excess. The funding will be hard to replace."

"Have you considered selling Elerium? I bet it would fetch quite the price." Michelle observed.

"No. I mean, I'm sure it would, but that's what fuels our Interceptors now. Our stocks are barely enough for our own needs."

"Plasma weaponry?"

"Same thing. The clips are in short supply…and it takes Elerium to make them. We'll figure something out, I'm sure. Like I said, I'm relieved the soldiers decided to stay."

"Me too, Jefe. Me too." Michelle's eyes went wide as she had a flash of inspiration. "The transports!"

"What?" The commander asked, perplexed.

"Dr. Albright mentioned they could design a new troop transport, one that can replace the Skyrangers. That's over a million dollars in savings right there." Michelle elaborated.

The Commander smiled. "True, very true. They should be finished with the Hovertank—

 _ACHOO_! Michelle joked.

"Doesn't that get old?" the commander asked, trying, but failing to suppress a smile.

"Nope," Michelle replied, with a mischievous smile of her own.

"Anyway," the Commander continued. "The scientists are almost finished with their Hovertank project, so they should be able to start researching a new troop transport. With any luck, we can replace both Skyrangers next month. That will help."

Michelle nodded and there was a comfortable silence between the two of them as they both sipped their coffee, gearing up for the day ahead.

* * *

 **Date: 25 April, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM-CENTRAL, Commander's Office**

This was turning out to be a banner day for XCOM. The new Hyperwave Decoder had just come online. Pending the outcome of its operation, they would go ahead and construct them at the other two bases. They had finished researching the Hovertank, aka the much maligned "ACHO." Dr. Albright and her team were now focusing on a new troop transport.

Also, they finished construction of their third Firestorm, this one destined for the American base, designated "XCOM-YANKEE" much to the amusement of the American Ambassador. XCOM-YANKEE was finally coming online, it's Hanger, Radar and Living Quarters were all complete.

The Commander was sitting at his table with Colonel Lancer and Colonel Smith. They were about to call the American Ambassador to inform her of the new base coming online. The Commander was going over the list of soldiers Colonel Smith would be bringing with her.

"Ok, so you and Big Lori will head up the base and Captain Spiel will be your team lead?"

"Yessir. Frank Sharpe will be the team Medic. He actually requested it. Chuck, I mean, Sergeant Jones will lead Michael Stinsen, Gerard Coicaud and Demetry Likachev on Gamma Squad, while Sergeant Pierre Allure will lead Loman Duran, Werner Sielder and Tatyana Shalimov on Zeta Squad."

The Commander considered the list for a moment and the responded. "Sounds like a good mix of experienced soldier and new comers. Not bad. I'm also going to assign Adam Watson and Patrick Bailey, they'll be your reserves. Will recruit some more once we get some of the other major projects out of the way. Questions?"

"Yessir. What kind of equipment will we have?" Colonel Smith asked.

"We have enough Heavy Plasmas for your entire team, and we'll send some Plasma Rifles along as well, for base defense. I'm afraid you'll all have to start with Personal Armor until we get the Hovertanks manufactured. Goal is one for each base. Then we'll manufacture enough for your entire base, probably two weeks total before we get all that ready, though."

"I don't suppose we could take that one," Felicity said with a smile, pointing to the prototype Power Suit the Commander had in his office.

"Not a chance," The Commander said, smiling as well. "Any other questions before we call the American Ambassador?"

Both Colonels shook their heads, so the Commander picked up the STU III, turned the key and dialed. After a series of beeps and clicks, the American Ambassador answered directly. "Good evening, Commander. Or should I say good morning?" The Ambassador was in her office in New York, a seven hour time difference with XCOM-CENTRAL.

"Good evening, Madam Ambassador. I have Colonels Lancer and Smith sitting with me."

"Colonels." Clarissa greeted them. "I appreciate all of you getting up so early."

"And we appreciate you staying up late, Madam Ambassador." The Commander replied. "The American base, designated XCOM-YANKEE, will be online today. Well, tomorrow, your time. The team has been assigned and will depart in two hours. We have constructed a Firestorm to send to the base as well."

"That's good to hear, but there is only one hangar currently, what about a troop transport?" The Ambassador asked.

"We are currently researching a new troop transport, one based on the Firestorm, only larger, of course. We expect to complete our research and construction of the first craft by the time the second hangar is online." Colonel Lancer answered.

"That is also good to hear, but that means at least three and a half weeks until we are truly protected."

"Madam Ambassador, with your advanced Aegis Radar we will be able to detect the UFOs before they hit your cities. The Firestorm will be able to shoot down the UFO, preventing a Terror Attack all together."

"But there will still be no local response, yes? We will still have to wait for your team to arrive? What if the UFO is undetected? How will you respond then?" The Ambassador kept her tone light and sincere in her questioning.

"All fair questions, Madam Ambassador." The Commander replied. He thought for a moment, choosing his next words carefully. "We currently have one hangar. At this point in time, we can house either an interceptor or a transport. Both have equal and strategic merits. We are building a second hangar so we can, or will rather, have both an interceptor and a transport located at YANKEE. I guess the question is, which would you prefer first?

"For a grunt, you handle diplomacy well, Commander," Clarissa began, her tone indicating the gentle nature of her ribbing. "While preventing the aliens from terrorizing our citizens is the end game, I think that having a local response would serve our public better. Until, that is, the second hangar comes online. That would help reassure the President. As you said, both options have equal merits tactically. Therefore I believe the deciding factor should be the diplomatic one. To that end, I would request a Skyranger be assigned to XCOM-YANKEE while the second hangar is being constructed."

"Very well, Madam Ambassador." The Commander worked hard to keep the disappointment out of his voice. This was going to increase their expenditure and maintenance at a time when their funding was being cut. "Please consider this an official request for Skyranger-3 to be assigned to XCOM-YANKEE."

The Skyranger was an American aircraft, each of them were leased month to month.

"We have one ready to be assigned, Commander. It can even pick up the team, if you wish."

"That is very generous of you, Ma'am." The commander replied. "If they call us 30 minutes out, we'll have a landing spot for them and have the team ready to board as soon as the craft touches down."

"I'll pass the word, Commander. Now, Colonels, would you please excuse us? I have some things for the Commander only."

The two colonels looked at the Commander, who shrugged, then nodded. The both got up to leave. When the door closed the Commander informed the Ambassador that they were alone.

"Thank you, Miguel. I wanted to give you a heads up before the next council meeting. Word has gotten out about the damage and deaths caused by XCOM in response to the terror site missions. Some of my fellow ambassadors may not be so understanding. If you'll take a suggestion for me, acknowledge the mistakes, and show how you are taking steps to mitigate repeats in the future. That should mollify all but the most strident."

"Thank you, Ambassador, I both appreciate and will follow your advice."

"Please, when we're alone, call me Clarissa, and I am happy to help. I know you didn't ask for and if I may be frank, didn't want your current position, but I think you are doing well. The U.S. is pleased. We'll be increasing our funding to help offset some of your increased costs and hopefully mitigate the Brits departure."

"Thank you, Am…Clarissa. I am grateful for your support and advice."

"I'm here anytime you need me, Miguel. Good day." The line went dead.

* * *

 **Date: 25 April, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM-YANKEE, Hangar**

Skyranger-3 touched down in its new home. The ramp descended on the rear of the aircraft and fourteen soldiers disembarked into their new home. The hangar still had that new paint/new construction smell.

"You'd think they'd air the place out before making us move in." Captain Spiel observed.

"Umm, with all due respect, sir, Secret Base." Sergeant Jones replied.

Major Littlefield chucked at the retort then turned to the group. "Get your gear stowed and get settled. We'll start the grand tour in 30 minutes."

 **Colonel Smith's Office, 1 hour later**

Felicity's office was quite Spartan. It was the same size as the Commander's office in CENTRAL, but with not nearly the furniture. It had a desk, a small table and an empty filing cabinet. The walls and tile floor were still bare. She'd change that, eventually. For now, she was reviewing the new construction that was going on, as well as requisition forms.

'Give me a muton any day, compared to this,' she thought to herself. Her thoughts were interrupted by Major Littlefield's voice out in the hallway.

"In here we have a rare specimen. A British American Citizen. As far as we know, there are less than a dozen in captivity and none out in the wild."

Felicity laughed and welcomed the interruption. She got up from her desk and went to the door. "No need to be afraid, I don't bite…hard…"

That got some mild laughter from the soldiers.

"I hope you all are settling in ok." The Colonel said. "I know things are a little austere right now, but we've already started construction on our second hangar, an alien containment facility, hyperwave decoder and second set of general stores. If any of you need anything, don't hesitate to bring it to my, or the Major's attention."

* * *

 **Date: 27 April, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM-CENTRAL, Radar Center**

The techs and watch officer were debating the merits of the new Hyperwave Decoder they constructed at the base. In order to mimic the feed from the small box they recovered in the UFO, they needed to construct an entire room to house the machinery. It was expensive, and took longer to build then their own radar systems.

The people on watch were discussing/debating whether the time and money were worth what it allegedly would provide them with. All arguments were about to cease as the Hyperwave Decoder proved itself worth all the effort. Four blips appeared on the screen, the technician turned towards his console when he received the alert.

"Sir, I'm reading four contacts! There's a Battleship! Wait…reading says, Alien Base. I'm also reading a Large Scout...a Supply Ship…no, two Supply Ships. They're all Sectoid, and they're all heading to an Alien Base. Which do we go after, sir?"

"Get the Commander here, ASAP," The Watch Officer replied. "Launch the Alert-5, and the Alert-15 we'll give them instructions in the air."

The Commander arrived just as Firestorm-1 cleared the Hangar doors. The tech and watch officer briefed him on the situation.

The Commander looked at the display screen and pointed. "This one…UFO-19. This one is the closest, send Firestorm-1 there."

The Watch Officer nodded and relayed the orders. The Firestorm-1 closed to weapons range, but took some fire from the Supply ship. The Supply Ship's weapons had better range, but were not as powerful as the Plasma Beams equipped on the Firestorm. The Firestorm-1 took some light damage, but was successful in shooting down the Supply Ship. Firestorm-3 arrived on station as the air battle ended.

By the time that battle was over, the other UFOs were already over the Island of Great Britain. They could not go after them without engaging the Royal Air Force as well. The Commander made the decision to stand down. That decision would prove troublesome in the future, but for now, his team had a mission.

* * *

 **Date: 27 April, 1999  
** **Location: UFO-19 Crash Site, Obdam, Netherlands**

Skyranger-1 landed in a large field. The rear ramp lowered and the Hovertank flew out. It remained on the same level as it exited the transport. The Hovertank swiveled from side to side, however no aliens were detected. It moved off to scout ahead and Captain Tellichi walked down the ramp with her medic, Private Otto Meyer.

The Captain was a little unsure of the Small Launcher she was carrying. She was told it was an area affect, ranged stun weapon. It only had one shot before it had to be reloaded and there was no guarantee that it would even work. She'd much prefer her tried and true Heavy Plasma, but the Commander ordered to capture the bridge crew aliens alive, if possible.

Sergeants Boot and Wiesse met the Captain at the bottom of the ramp to discuss their strategy. The area was an open field, with a few stone and wooden fences partitioning various sub-plots.

They could see the UFO from their current position. It was only one sub-plot to the east. It was clearly three levels, with the second level larger than the first and third levels. Captain Tellichi thought she saw two separate doors.

"Looks like the UFO has two doors on its west side. Boot, your squad will take the northern door. Ivan, you're with me. Wiesse take your team and scout/secure the area." Tellichi ordered.

Sergeant Wiesse, in an exaggerated movement, brought his hand over his eye and swiveled his body side to side, "Looks clear, Captain." He said, the helmet hiding his smile.

"Wow, a German with a sense of humor, who knew?" Alton Boot remarked.

Tellichi wasn't impressed. "Move out." She ordered.

Gamma Squad made their way to the northern door, while Tellichi, the medic and Private Korkia made their way to the southern door. Once everyone was in position, Sergeant Boot and Captain Tellichi opened their respective doors.

Smoke poured out of the northern door, while the air just inside the southern door was relatively clear. Inside the first level was a large rectangular room, the northern portion of the room was missing its walls, while the southern portion was intact with a door on the south wall. Alton moved to the northern portion of the room, while Tellichi entered the door on the south wall. There were two UFO Power Sources still functioning, and providing illumination. There was what appeared to be the remains of a third UFO Power Source in the center of the smoke.

Sergeant Boot noticed two dead Sectoids, one right near the damaged, apparently exploded Power Source and one right outside the wall…well, where the wall used to be. "Looks like this is the Engine Room," The Sergeant observed.

"You don't say." The Captain responded dryly. "Let's search the rear of the craft next." The Captain noted a third dead Sectoid.

Alton nodded and found a lift in the northern side of the rear part of the craft. Captain Tellichi found another on the southern side.

 ** _Supply Ship, Level 2_**

Sergeant Boot and his squad found themselves in a square room with a door on both the east and west walls. Sergeant Boot went through the west door and found himself face to face with a Sectoid. The Sectoid got the drop on him and fired its Plasma Pistol. The Power Suit took some damage, but Sergeant Boot was uninjured. He immediately fired his Heavy Plasma at point blank range. The Sectoid didn't stand a chance. A canister near the Sergeant exploded when another Sectoid fired at him.

Private Geiser went through the door on the east wall and was facing the outer hull of the supply ship. He turned towards the south and spotted a Sectoid. Before he could let out a warning, the Sectoid fired its Plasma Rifle. Fortunately, the Sectoid missed its target. Private Geiser fired and missed. The Sectoid turned towards the Private, but Geiser was able to get off a second three round burst before the Sectoid.

"Thanks, Jurgen. I owe you a beer," Sergeant Boot said.

Private Geiser nodded, but the suit didn't echo the motion. He simply replied "Sir." in acknowledgement.

The three XCOM soldiers found themselves in a large open area. There were ten large canisters, including the one that was just destroyed. The intact ones had organic matter in various stages of decomposition. There was another small square room directly west of the one they just came out of, and another larger square room in the middle of the level.

That large room had a door on both the east and west sides. Sergeant Boot went to the door on the east side, while Corporal Calbred and Private Geiser went to the one on the west.

"On one," the Sergeant said. "Three…two…ONE!"

All three entered the room at the same time. There were two Sectoids, one near each of what looked like the alien surgery stations in the Harvester UFOs. One Sectoid got the drop on Corporal Calbred, firing six shots from its Plasma Pistol. The Corporal's Power Suit absorbed the damage and he fired back. Three shots from his Heavy Plasma dropped the Sectoid. Private Geiser managed to get the other one.

"Clear!" Geiser called.

"Clear!" Calbred repeated.

"Clear!" Boot echoed.

The other half of the level was a mirror image of the area they were just in, with two small square rooms, one on either side of the UFO. One of the rooms had no doors.

"That's odd. Wonder what that's for." Calbred observed.

"Lift maybe?" Geiser offered.

"Enough speculating. Let's make sure this level is clear." Sergeant Boot ordered.

 ** _Supply Ship, Level 3_**

Captain Tellichi, Private Meyer and Private Korkia all went up the lift that was in the southern portion of the Supply Ship. They found themselves in a small room with no doors.

"What do we do now, Captain?" Meyer asked.

"We go up," The Captain answered, just before she disappeared.

Privates Meyer and Korkia followed her up to the third level. They went through the door and found another door right in front of them. "Ok, by the numbers." Tellichi directed.

Meyer and Korkia each lined up on one side of the door, with Captain Tellichi ready to fire. She nodded to Otto, who opened the door. Private Korkia went through first and scanned side to side. "Clear!" he called.

The room itself was pretty small, with a door on the south end. The team lined up the same way and when Tellichi nodded, Private Meyer opened the door with Private Korkia going through. He found himself in a curved corridor that followed the shape of the outer hull.

"Ok, Ivan, you follow that corridor and see where it leads. Stay in constant contact. Otto, you're with me." Tellichi ordered.

The Captain and Private left the room and slowly moved north along the wall. They got to a corner at the far end and Captain Tellichi peered around, spotting a Sectoid. The Sectoid fired its Heavy Plasma, and she quickly ducked back. She went around the corner and fired her Small Launcher. The stun bomb missed and exploded when it hit the wall behind the Sectoid. Tellichi retreated around the corner as the Sectoid fired another burst from its Heavy Plasma.

Tellichi watched the plasma bolts go past her and then she heard three more, but didn't see them. She heard the alien scream its foul cry and cautiously peered around the corner. The Sectoid was dead. Private Korkia stuck his head out from behind the opposite corner. Tellichi nodded and Korkia nodded back.

The group gathered by what they assumed was a door to the bridge. Tellichi motioned and each Private lined up on either side of the door. The Captain reloaded her Small Launcher, got down on one knee and then signaled to Otto, who opened the door. There was one Sectoid in there and Tellichi fired, missing again.

"Damnit!" She exclaimed.

The Sectoid fired through the door, but missed. The door closed, preventing the privates from firing back. Tellichi grabbed the Heavy Plasma from the slain Sectoid, and resumed her position. Otto opened the door again and Tellichi fired with her new weapon. This time she hit the alien, which went down with a chilling screech.

Private Korkia then entered the room that they assumed was the bridge.

"Clear!" he called.

Captain Tellichi poked her head in, looked around, nodded and then got on her radio. "This is Alpha-1. Level 3 secure, all squads report."

 _"This is Gamma-1, Level 2 secure."_

 _"This is Zeta-1, exterior secure."_

"This is Alpha-1, Roger, break, Control, UFO is secure, site is secure. Nine dead aliens, no friendly casualties. Recommend sending salvage team, over."

 _"This is control, Roger, out."_

* * *

 **Date: 27 April, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM-CENTRAL, Briefing Room**

Major Waser was sitting on the stage facing Alpha. Johann was recently promoted to Major, in order to back-fill Felicity Smith and Lori Littlefield who had just been assigned to the new American base. Like his predecessors, he would much rather be sitting in the seats facing the stage, than on the stage. Also like his predecessors, he was keeping the debriefing informal.

"Alright, Captain, break it down for me." he instructed.

Captain Tellichi stood and started her debrief. "Sir, the UFO appeared to be intact when we arrived. There were two entrances on the west side, which just happened to be facing us. Sergeant Boot and his squad took the northern door, while I took Privates Korkia and Meyer with me through the southern door. The first level housed what appeared to be the engine room. There were three UFO Power Sources, one of which exploded, my guess is on impact. I noticed one dead Sectoid in my sweep."

"I noticed two more, one near the engine and one just outside the engine room." Sergeant Boot added.

The Major nodded and Captain Tellichi continued. "There were two lifts behind the engine room. I'm guessing the northern one led to the second level, but I'll let Sergeant Boot brief you on that part. Ours led to the third level. We encountered two aliens near the bridge. I tried using the stun bombs on the one, but missed. Private Korkia managed to take it out. The second Sectoid was actually on the bridge. I fired another stun bomb at it, but missed again, so I used the Heavy Plasma from the Sectoid Ivan took out and dropped him."

"So, you're efforts to capture live aliens didn't bear fruit?" the Major asked.

"No, sir. I found the weapon to be a little unwieldy and hard to aim. I think we should have a few team members specially train with them if we want to capture more live aliens." Tellichi replied.

"Noted. Thank you, Captain."

"Sir." Tellichi said. "I'll defer to Sergeant Boot for what happened with his squad."

Sergeant Boot stood and began, "Sir, our lift took us to the second level. We came under fire immediately. I found myself face to face with a Sectoid, who got the drop on me. If it weren't for the Power Suit, I would not be here to debrief you. Please pass my personal thanks to the engineers."

"I'll do that Sergeant, thank you," the Major promised. "Please continue."

"Yessir. The Sectoid and I stood literally toe to toe…well, toe to whatever they have on their feet…anyway, he fired first and I fired second. Fortunately, the Power Suit protected me, so I survived and the Sectoid did not. I came under fire from another Sectoid right away, and Private Geiser managed to take that one out."

The Major looked towards Private Geiser, who nodded.

The Sergeant continued. "The second level appeared to be broken up into two parts, each side mirroring the other. We swept the northern portion and then went to the room in the middle, with a door on either side. I took one side and the other two took the other. There were two large pieces of equipment in that room, similar to what was on one of the medium sized UFOs we've encountered. Each piece of machinery had a Sectoid manning it. One of them fired on Corporal Calbred, but his armor took the hit. Each of them managed to take down one of the Sectoids. We swept the rest of the level, but it was clear."

"Thank you, Sergeant, Captain," the Major began his summary. "This may be the first mission where nobody has been killed or injured. Congratulations to all of you. At the same time, never become complacent. We lost one soldier who became over confident in his armor. That armor is designed to protect you for the exact situations you found yourself in, surprised by the aliens. That doesn't mean you all can pull some 'John Wayne action' and go charging in."

The Major looked over the group and received a series of nods. "Good. You all are to be congratulated on a successful mission. Well done, each of you. Privates Jurgen Geiser and Ivan Korkia, you are both being promoted to Corporal for your actions on this mission, Congratulations. Team is dismissed."

The group got up and congratulated the two of their members who were promoted as they filed out of the briefing room.

* * *

 **Date: 30 April, 1999  
** **Location: United Nations, Office of XCOM Funding, Geneva**

The council was gathered for their monthly meeting to determine the funding for XCOM over the next month. The mood was mixed as one of their members had recently left the council, and rumor had it, allowed the aliens to build a base in their territory. The councilors were generally pleased with XCOM's performance. Though, there was a little consternation over the civilian casualties and the UFOs that XCOM let get into Great Britain over the new base just a few days prior.

The American Ambassador opened the meeting with her usual bluntness. "Before the Commander calls in, do any of you have anything you'd like to address?" she asked.

The Chinese Ambassador did. "I'd like more information on the Hyperwaves that he discussed last month."

The American Ambassador nodded, then asked, "Anything else?"

The German Ambassador responded, "I'd like to know what he plans on doing about the civilian casualties that occur when they respond."

The American Ambassador smiled a diplomatic smile and nodded. She'd been expecting that, and had prepared accordingly. Those were the only two items brought up, so the Chairwoman started the call with the Commander of XCOM.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Good afternoon," The Commander said through the secure conference phone.

"Good afternoon, Commander," The American Ambassador responded. "Please start by sharing your accomplishments for the month. After that, we'd like to discuss progress on the Hyperwaves."

"Of course, Madam Ambassador. Ladies and Gentlemen, you know I am not one to sugarcoat things, so I will start by saying that April was a mixed month. We've had both our biggest successes and our biggest setback."

"Commander, your forthright nature is welcome in these meetings," The German Ambassador began. "We are all aware of Britain's traitorous action. Please share your successes with us."

"Very well, Ambassador. We now have three, fully functional bases online. Each base houses its own response team and Skyranger transport. This will enable us to respond quicker to Terror Sites. We have an upgraded HWP, known as the Hovertank. It is constructed with Alien Alloys, so it is more robust. It is armed with a Plasma Cannon, so it packs more of a punch. Finally, it hovers, instead of rolling along on treads."

"How does it work in the field?" The Russian Ambassador asked.

"Very well. We fielded our first unit on our last mission. It moves smoothly, hovers without any issues. It did not see actual combat, but the techs did run some live targeting tests and the unit functioned in accordance with defined parameters." The commander responded.

"This was the Supply Ship that you managed to down?" The Spanish Ambassador asked.

"Yes, sir, it was. We detected four UFOs with our new Hyperwave Decoder-"

"Excuse the interruption, but can you tell us more about this 'Hyperwave Decoder' you just mentioned?" The Chinese Ambassador asked.

"Yes, sir. I mentioned last month that we were working on researching what the aliens called 'Hyperwaves.' They are used for communication, data sharing and navigation. Our scientists cracked the code, as it were, but we found that in order to use it, we needed an entire room to house the equipment. Shortly after going operational, our efforts bore fruit. We detected four UFOs. We knew their size, type, crew, mission and target. We sent both of our Firestorms to the Large UFO, aka the Supply Ship. After it was shot down, the rest were already in British Airspace and we could not follow without being willing to risk a confrontation with the Royal Air Force." The Commander replied.

"What was the mission that you detected, Commander?" The American Ambassador asked, knowing the answer.

"All four UFOs were on a mission to supply and staff an Alien Base in the UK." The commander replied. Some of the Ambassadors knew this, but most did not. There was a brief uproar in the room at the pronouncement, but the American banged her gavel and restored order.

"How could you just let that base remain there, knowing the danger it poses!" the German Ambassador demanded.

"With respect Mr. Ambassador, Great Britain is no longer part of our efforts and neither supports us, nor accepts our support. It's one thing to attack an Alien Base in a country that we are working with, but as we are no longer welcome in the U.K. it would require an invasion of a sovereign nation. I'm not sure that I'm authorized for such an action." The Commander replied.

"The Commander brings up a valid point." The Australian Ambassador stated. "When we detected the base on our soil, I requested—nearly demanded—that the Commander send a team. How do we proceed if a nation not only doesn't want our support, but actively rejects it?"

"Or worse, is actively colluding with the alien menace," The French Ambassador added.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," the American Ambassador began, "normally this would be a very touchy subject, with lots of complexity and nuance. However, I think we all agree, these are not normal times. I move we authorize the Commander to use whatever force is necessary, where ever necessary, to combat the 'alien menace' as our French counterpart has stated."

"I second the motion." the French woman said.

The American looked around the table to a series of small nods. "All in favor?"

It was unanimous, the American relayed the information to the Commander. "By unanimous vote of the funding council, you are authorized to use whatever force is necessary, wherever it is necessary, to combat the alien menace."

"Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. I will continue to do my best in this regard," the Commander replied.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, are there any other questions for the Commander before we discuss next month's funding?" The American Ambassador asked.

"Yes, I would like to know what the Commander is doing to eliminate the issue of civilian casualties." The German Ambassador stated.

"Sir," the commander replied, "I assume you are referring to what happened in New York. A thorough investigation was conducted by both our own agents and the NYPD. Both investigations found there were no live civilians in that building when it collapsed. All the bodies were either Chrysalids or infected zombies."

"That may be," the German Ambassador pressed, "but there were other missions where your soldiers were responsible for civilian deaths. Are you addressing this, or should we?"

"Mr. Ambassador," the American cut in, "you just voted to authorize the Commander to do whatever it takes to protect this planet. Are you now going back on your word and proposing we place restrictions on him?"

That caught the German off guard. "What? No, not at all. I was just…requesting assurances that care be taken to protect civilians."

"Mr. Ambassador, I promise that protecting civilians is a high priority for us and will continue to be so going forward," the Commander said.

"Thank you, Commander. That is all I ask." The German Ambassador was mollified and no other ambassadors made any comments.

* * *

 **Author Note** : Special Thank You to Praknasty for being a Beta Reader! This chapter will have a much higher quality as a result. If anyone else is interested, or if you have noticed any errors in any of the chapters, please do not hesitate to send me a message. Next chapter we'll get back to fighting aliens. Some missions are going to start taking place "off screen" but will be referenced in the narrative.


	13. Chapter 13 - EPILOGUE

**Author Note** : I need to make a bunch of apologies up front. First, I apologize for going to so many months without an update. My real life profession has all but taken over my life. All my hobbies, even the ones I use to relax have taken a back seat. I hate that I have had to leave you all hanging. Second, I need to apologize for making this story a cliff hanger. I had intended on one long story...and I still have plenty of story to tell. What I do not have right now is the time to tell the rest of the story. I hate leaving things so open ended, so I am trying to provide a little bit of closure and will be marking this story as complete. I _will_ write a sequel that will continue the adventure right up through the final mission on Cydonia. But for now, I want to close out this story and I want to do so on a hopeful note. I really appreciate the support, the advice and the _patience_ of you all. Special thank you to Praknasty for your constant encouragement, support and for agreeing to be a beta reader. I'm sorry to have to end things now, but rest assured, I will pick up the story again. Commander Jimenez will make it back into the field again and all our heroes will make it to Cydonia...all though some may not come back...

Thank you all for following me on my first real fanfiction-net story. I hope you enjoyed reading it, and I promise you there will be a sequel coming. If you have any ideas, thoughts, suggestions or criticisms, please do not hesitate to send me a message.

~Kappapi99

* * *

 **Date: 1 May, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM-CENTRAL, Commander's Office**

The Commander was reviewing the funding figures he received from the council. Germany was a bit more generous than he assumed they would be. America increased their funding by a substantial amount, likely due to the base, although they had become XCOM's biggest supporter. The funding had increased overall, but not enough to cover the loss of Great Britain. That's when the good doctor came.

Dr. Albright knocked on his door right on schedule. She was always punctual, and the Commander appreciated that about her. He motioned for her to come in and moved from his desk to the conference table. Colonel Lance followed the Dr in and the Commander wasted no time in getting started.

"Alright, Dr. Show us what you have."

"Thank you, sir." Dr. Albright opened a file and showed some sketches statistics to the Commander and the Colonel.

"We call it the Lightning," she began, "It is a Fighter/Transporter. It can down enemy UFOs and then land right at the site, so the crew can begin the mission immediately."

"But if it's shot down, we'd lose an entire team," Michelle pointed out.

"That's ok, if it's a decent transport, we can still use the Firestorms. Please, go on, Doctor." The Commander replied.

Dr. Albright nodded and continued. "It uses all alien components, UFO Power source, Navigation, Alien Alloys, and it is powered by Elerium. It can carry up to twelve soldiers, given our current teams of ten. That should be more than sufficient. It has one hard point for a weapon to be mounted on the top of the craft."

"What about Armor?" The Commander asked.

"The UFO power source means that weight is not as much as an issue. It has a thick Alien Alloy shell, more robust than our power suits and far more robust than our Skyranger. It can even take more hits than the Firestorm," Dr. Albright answered proudly.

"How many hovertanks can it hold?" The Commander asked.

"None, we were unable to find an arrangement that was balanced enough for flight, while enabling transportation of an HWP or Hovertank."

"So…less soldiers than our current transport, no HWP capability, but it's more robust and we can mount a weapon on it if we want to. What kind of range are we looking at?" the Commander asked.

The doctor winced at the question. "Due to its size, robust shell and weapons capability, I'm afraid the range is more limited than either of our conventional aircraft," she admitted.

The Commander was disappointed, but tried not to show it. "So, overall, it has less capability then our current transport, but it is more robust. It's not a bad design, doctor, but if we're going the fighter transport route, I'd like the entire design to have more. I'd like to see twice the range, twice the weapon capacity, twice the carrying space and the ability to carry an HWP or hovertank."

The doctor sighed, "I supposed you'd like it to travel in outer space too," she lamented.

"Why not?" Colonel Lancer asked.

The Commander intervened before the doctor could respond with a witty retort. "Listen, you and your team did an admirable job. I'm going to have our engineers manufacture a prototype, but I'd like you to think about another project with the requirements I just laid out, ok?"

"Yes, sir. Do you want us to get started right away?"

"No, first, I want you to look at that launcher that caused massive explosions. The aliens have those at their bases and I want to know how we can use those against them. After that, see if there is a way we can upgrade the armor to protect against the Chryssalids."

"We could adapt the technology from the hovertank and the power suits, into a sort of flying suit of armor. That could keep our soldiers out of their range." The Doctor thought out loud.

"Good. Launcher first and then the 'flying suit' next. Keep me posted, doctor," the Commander replied.

"I always do, sir." Dr. Albright acknowledged and then rose to leave.

* * *

 **Date: 2 May, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM-CENTRAL, Commander's Office**

The clock had just passed midnight. The Commander was meeting with the senior officers on the base: Colonel Lancer, Major Waser, Captain Tellichi and Captain Borisovish. They had been meeting all evening to discuss their assault on the Alien Base in Great Britain.

They had been going back and forth on the same topics, repeating the same arguments for hours.

The Commander was leaning on his desk, when he commented, "I need a bigger conference table."

The comment was seemingly out of the blue, but it was a welcome distraction. The Commander pushed himself off his desk and started pacing. Limping as he went, he got back to the business at hand. "There are two things we know. First, there are Sectoids in that base and they can control our soldiers. Second, the longer that base sits there, the more unhappy the council become."

Captain Borisovish had a flash of inspiration. "Sir! What if we send out team out in squads of three, with each squad having one small launcher. If any of our own soldiers gets mind controlled, we stun them."

Colonel Lancer nodded. "I like that. It's a good safeguard, of course that soldier could stun the entire squad."

"Still better than killing them," Captain Tellichi said.

The Commander was about to cut in when the alarm Klaxon went off. All five officers went to the Radar Center where they were briefed by the Watch Officer.

"Supply Ship inbound to Alien Base-3, sir. I was just about to launch the Alert-5."

"Belay that," The Commander said. Then he turned to Captain Borisovich. "I want you to take your team and assault that supply ship.

"Sir?"

"We know it's going to land. We have a general idea of where. If we launch an assault on the UFO while it's landed we'll know where the base is." The Commander explained.

The Captain nodded and left to gather her team.

"Sir, nothing against Vera, but her team is fairly inexperienced. Is it wise to send them? My team and I know the layout of the Supply Ship." Captain Tellichi observed.

"You make some valid points, but they need to gain experience, and if my hunch I correct, both of your teams will get plenty of action this month." The Commander replied.

Lisa nodded.

"What are you thinking, Jefe?" Michelle asked.

"Now that we have the Hyperwave Decoder, we're basically detecting all their ships. If they need to supply their base regularly, then we have plenty of chances to capture a live alien. Not to mention being able to increase our stocks of Elerium and Alien Alloys." The Commander explained.

"Hopefully this mission goes by the book," Michelle replied.

The Skyranger was out of the hanger within 15 minutes. Even the 'rookies' knew the drill and were ready and boarded quickly. It flew low over the English Channel and made landfall on the Island without incident. It was headed for the general location of the Base.

The supply ship landed when the Skyranger was about 15 minutes out. The Skyranger adjusted course slightly and headed for the landed ship. It found the Alien Base and the Supply Ship, landing nearby.

" _Control, this is Beta-1, ready to disembark._ " Captain Borisovich said over the comms.

The tech pushed a few buttons and moved a joystick, bringing the hovertank to life. He moved the hovertank down the ramp and scanned side to to side.

"Beta-1, Control, ramp area is clear."

" _This is Beta-1, roger, break. Gamma team, secure the ramp, Zeta Team head for the UFO. Doc, Vornin, you're both with me."_

The Commander watched the screen as the team members went to their respective positions. The squads were nearing their positions when someone at the ramp called out, " _Contact!"_

The hovertank also came under fire. The tech worked the controls and found the Sectoid. He fired a shot, which went wide. The tech fired a second shot which dropped the Sectoid.

While the tech was putting the hovertank through its first "combat test," Gamma Squad managed to kill the two Sectoids that had opened fire on them.

"Three down," The Commander observed. "How many bodies did you get from the last one?"

"Nine total, sir." Captain Tellichi answered.

"Let's hope that holds true now," Major Waser commented.

* * *

 **Date: 2 May, 1999  
** **Location: XCOM-CENTRAL, Alien Containment**

The morning's mission to the supply ship had resulted in a few injuries, but fortunately, no fatalities. It was well worth the effort, they managed to capture two live aliens from the craft's bridge area. Both of those aliens were contained. They were operating under the assumption that one of them was a Sectoid Leader, so Captain Tellichi and Captain Borisovich were suited up, armed with Heavy Plasmas and standing by for the interrogation.

"So who's who?" One of the scientists said, as he got up from the table. He walked first to one containment cell, and then the other. Both aliens looked alike, and neither of them showed any trace of emotion. Suddenly, Captain Tellichi's gaze went blank, her eyes glassing over. She raised her Heavy Plasma towards the scientist.

Captain Borisovich raised her Heavy Plasma and pointed it towards Tellichi. "Lisa…" she warned. "Don't make me…"

Suddenly, Lisa's eyes came back into focus. She lowered her Heavy Plasma. Both Sectoids let out a piercing shriek and collapsed.

Captain Tellichi had a look of surprise mixed with shock in her face. "We need to go see the Commander…right now!"

 **Commander's Office, 5 minutes later**

The Commander was eating dinner with Colonel Lancer when Dr. Albright, the lead interrogating scientist and both Captains came into his office.

"Sir, this is urgent…the threat is bigger than we even imagined," Captain Tellichi blurted out.

"Whoa! Slow down, Lisa, what are you talking about?" Jimenez asked.

"They're going to enslave us! All of us! They have a huge empire!" Lisa carried on.

"Ok, Lisa, take a deep breath and start from the beginning," The Commander ordered.

Captain Tellichi did just that. She closed her eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and then began explaining.

"Sir, we were standing guard in the Alien Containment Facility, when suddenly, without my even realizing it, the scene shifted. You were standing in the containment cell, only it wasn't a containment cell, it was one of those canisters on the supply ship. The good doctor here wasn't one of our scientists, but a Sectiod. You, well, 'you' ordered me to kill the Sectiod and set you free, and I was about to, but something just didn't seem right."

"What do you mean?" Colonel Lancer asked.

"I'm not sure, it's hard to explain, but the whole thing felt kind of…surreal…in a way. Hard to describe exactly, but it just wasn't _right_ , if that makes sense. I turned torwads…well, 'the commander' and looked at him, it, whatever, very intently. The form shifted to that of the Sectoid. I assume it was the Leader, but that's just a guess."

"Probably a good guess," the scientist cut in.

Lisa nodded and then continued. "I looked at it very intently, and its eyes seem to get bigger and bigger and bigger. I felt like I was being drawn into, like I fell into a pool of blackness. "Then the entire scenery changed. I was standing inside the control room of a Sectoid base. There was a Sectoid Commander there giving instructions. Then there was a swirl of all different colors around me and I saw outter space. A small red point of light was in the distance and seem to be getting closer and growing in size. It looked like a planet. It got bigger and closer. It was definitely a rusty red type of color. There was another base there, but I can't tell you exactly where it was. I just….felt….it felt like a home away from home, like a staging area, like there were a large number of forces being prepped. Then before I could take any of it in, I was standing back in the Alien Containment room and the two aliens were dead."

"The planet you saw must be Mars!" Dr Albright exclaimed. "That must be their base of operations! What else can you tell us?"

"Not much, I'm afraid. There seemed to a controlling intelligence, but as soon as I felt a presence, everything was, well, back to normal." Lisa replied.

"Wait, you actually saw into the Aliens mind?" Colonel Lancer asked.

Captain Tellichi shrugged, "I guess, I'm not really sure."

"It's not impossible," Dr. Albright observed. "A door once opened, can be entered from any direction, no? We have observed psychic abilities in some of the Sectoids. If the Leader tried to enter her mind, it's entirely possible she could enter its mind through the link that the alien established. It's not my area of expertise, but it sounds plausible."

"I think it is very plausible," the other scientist cut in. "The aliens operate in hierarchy, some of which have psychic abilities. They must operate in a hive structure as well. There is probably one head intelligence at the top of the hierarchy. Commander, we should try to capture the commander of that base in England and interrogate it. Then we can find the location of the Alien base in Mars!"

"And then we can finally take the fight to them!" The Commander agreed. "Doctor, I realize you were a little exasperated when you asked if I wanted the troop transport to operate in outer space, but now, yes, I want a troop transport that can operate in outer space. We need to send a large contingent to Mars and take out their main base of operations."

"Sir, I will personally ensure you get the ultimate craft," Dr. Albright said.

"Good. Thank you, Dr. Albright. Ladies and gentlemen, this was quite an accomplishment. This is going to change the nature of this war. This gives us a real chance to defeat the alien menace. We are going to be shifting our focus around here. We will still shoot down their UFOs. We will still stop them from terrorizing our citizens. We will still destroy any and every base they attempt to establish. However, every battle, every bit of research, every item we manufacture now has one overarching goal: Taking the fight to the aliens. We will research the ultimate craft. We will ensure we have the best armor. We will use the aliens' best weapons against them. We will take the fight to them. The end of this war is coming, ladies and gentlemen. It's a war we are going to win and here's why: we now have something we've been missing. We have hope."

* * *

 **END**

* * *

#


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